New synthetic biology applications are now coming to market almost monthly. And while some of these applications promise to upend the most polluting and toxic chemical processes of the 20th century, other seem like novelty items.

Synthetic biology gives rise to biodesign

Synthetic biology gives rise to a whole new category of design--that is, designing with living systems or biodesign. What will the living future that we’re creating look like? Some argue that designers are better suited to answer that question than the scientists or entrepreneurs who are developing the applications.In London next week a panel led by artist and designer Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg from Royal College of Art
 in London will explore the role of biodesign in synthetic biology. Ginsberg is well known for the work she’s shown in museums like the V&A and MoMA, critiquing synthetic biology. Her academic program, Synthetic Aesthetics, created unique collaborations between artists and synthetic biologists, asking the artists to step into the lab and the scientists to venture into the art studio. The results were published in a book by the same name in 2013.For the conference, Ginsberg has pulled together a panel of diverse thinkers to discuss how we might consider design in biology. There are those with science backgrounds who are working to completely overhaul entire genomes like Andrew Hessel, Autodesk Distinguished Researcher, who will discuss Autodesk’s work to redesign viruses for anti-cancer therapies. Also, Andrew Phillips of Microsoft Research
 will talk about his project to design a programming language inside of living cells.At the other end of the spectrum, Ginsberg has invited artists and designers who have come to synthetic biology from the arts. Speaker Rodrigo Martinez, Life Sciences Chief Strategist at IDEO, is not new to the intersection of art and science. He originally coined the term ‘bioeconomy’ with Juan Enriquez in 1997. Fresher to the field is artist and designer Karen Ingram from CUT/PASTE/GROW
, a creative agency. Ingram will discuss the artist’s and designer’s journey into the world of bioengineering. Ingram contributed to the forthcoming Biobuilder synthetic biology textbook, published by O’Reilly.So what is biodesign’s role in synthetic biology? Come to the panel and find out!