B.I.G. Ethics Hour
BioInnovation Group (B.I.G.) is a student led synthetic biology research organization that supports our iGEM team. Student in B.I.G propose research projects our advisors Dr. Marc Facciotti and Andrew Yao and conduct research in a shared laboratory space. Current projects include an Algae to Insulin Project, Real Vegan Cheese, Microfluidics, and a team optimizing the ELISA assay technique for an engineering firm, H.M. Clause. We chose to work with B.I.G. to implement our bioethics framework because it is an ideal target for integrating bioethics into research-based education. B.I.G. consists of students that will become the future of synthetic biology and such, it is important for there to be a formal treatment of responsible conduct and have it be baked into the culture of the group. Similarly to the way we have developed experimental protocols for undergraduates, we are making standard forms and trainings to teach responsible research practices.
To improve the discussion surrounding ethics and synthetic biology, we created the “Ethics and Community Impact Assessment” (ECIA) for researchers to work through to aid them in critically assessing the ethical implications of their research. Open discussion about the ethics of synthetic biology is crucial for research to proceed ethically, and to create an ethical culture. Cultural views surrounding ethics and synthetic biology is also a key part of students “hidden” ethics education. The best way to target hidden education is to create a campus conversation about bioethics. As a branch of a larger student synthetic biology club, BioInnovation Group (B.I.G.) our iGEM team had a unique opportunity to lead our campus discussion.
In BioInnovation group, student leads propose synthetic biology projects and conduct research in small teams of undergraduates. To increase student’s awareness of bioethics, we introduced ECIA as a step in the B.I.G. project proposal process. We hosted an interactive Ethics Hour open to all members of B.I.G. to discuss the importance of ethics in research and work through an example of how to effectively implement ECIA. All students were encouraged to participate in the discussion of bioethics and evaluate our hypothetical project proposal. After the group evaluation of our project proposal, we helped students break down the ethics of their own research using ECIA. We believe that ECIA can be a valuable tool to aid other student research teams in leading an ethics discussion about their own projects.
ECIA Guide
- Project Proposal: describe your project including relevant research and the possible methods you will be using.
- Categorization: Choose the category that best describes your project
- Benefits to Society: Why is your project valuable to the community
- Community Risks: Could your project be used maleficently or cause unintentional damage?
- Motivation: Why are you participating in this research?
- Harm : How could you or someone else be injured by your project or while participating in your project?
- Environmental Risks: Could your project contaminate the environment or cause damage outside of the lab?
- Mitigation: What steps can you take to prevent or minimize the risks or harms listed earlier?
- Regulations: What organizations govern your project? What rules do they have about your research?
- Cost Benefit Analysis: Does the public good associated with your project outweigh the risks?
- Project Objective: What do you want to come out of this research?
- Access: Who should have access to your product or information?
The "Friendly Bears" Example Case
To work though this form, we have attached an example project proposal, “Friendly Bears”. This model case can provide discussion surrounding bioethics before you discuss the ethics of your project. To create this example, we developed a theoretical concept from literature, VonHolt et al. 2017 and came up with a project proposal for a possible application.
To download a copy of this presentation, click Here.
vonHoldt, Bridgett M., et al. “Structural Variants in Genes Associated with Human Williams-Beuren Syndrome Underlie Stereotypical Hypersociability in Domestic Dogs.” Science Advances, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1 July 2017, advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/7/e1700398.