DIYbio
Encyclopedia
Founded by Mackenzie Cowell and Jason Bobe, DIYbio is a network of individuals from around the globe that aims to help make biology a worthwhile pursuit for citizen scientists, amateur biologists, and do-it-yourself biological engineers who value openness and safety. Participants call themselves ‘bio-hackers’, not hackers in the sense of infiltrating protected places and stealing information, but hackers in the sense of taking things apart and putting them back together in a new, better way. These bio-hackers often have mundane day jobs and pursue biology in their free time.
tool it creates a centrifuge
capable of performing to the standard of many lab standard models. This creation dropped the price of a centrifuge from thousands to a few dollars and made the technology much more widely available. Other examples of bio-hacker creations include printable hip-replacement joints and a process that allows DNA extraction to be performed in a shot glass.
communities as early as 2005, through demonstrations of DIYbio experiments. One such example is the CodeCon
presentation in 2005 in which Meredith L. Patterson
(another early contributor to the DIYbio network) demonstrated the purification of DNA
with common household items during a presentation on SciTools, a recombinant DNA
design tool. As DIYbio experiments became the focus of SuperHappyDevHouse
hackers, the hobby gained additional momentum. Many hackerspace
s, such as Noisebridge
, are offering lab space to DIYbio groups, further exposing otherwise biology-naive technologists to the art and science of synthetic biology
.
In April 2009, the first conference with a DIYbio focus was held; CodeCon
, produced by Len Sassaman
and Bram Cohen
, replaced 1/3 of its normal program with a special BioHack! track. Along with other early citizen-scientists, Mackenzie Cowell spoke at this event, exposing more of the San Francisco underground code-hacking community to the concepts of DIYbio. DIYBio has now become a popular conference topic; it was the topic of the 2010 Humanity+ Summit at Harvard
(subtitled "Rise of the Citizen Scientist"), the Outlaw Biology Summit at UCLA and is included in the program of the Open Science Summit at University of California, Berkeley
.
The blending of biology expertise gained from experimentation, and software development, quality control, awareness of open source
principles, and security expertise transferred from the professional work of many DIYbio enthusiasts, has led to a unique subculture
among this community, with some members referring to themselves as biopunk
s in reference to the cypherpunks of the turn of the century. The work 'A Biopunk Manifesto' delivered by Patterson at the UCLA conference lays down the principles of the biopunk movement, in an homage to the prior work of cypherpunk Eric Hughes
. Patrik Ronnqvist, a Swedish biopunk who owns the domain biopunk.org, characterizes the difference between DIYbio and biopunk as being one of goals; he claims DIYbio hobbyists are more interested in building their own equipment, possibly due to a Maker
influence, whereas the biopunks are more focused on results, and are thus open to outside contracting of gene sequencing and other procedures necessary for synthetic biology experiments. That a significant proportion of the DIYbio mailing list membership are openly in support of outsourcing DNA synthesis and sequencing makes it difficult to determine whether this definition truly applies; in general, the two hobbies are difficult to distinguish and share a common community. Both are forms of citizen science
.
), the premiere undergraduate synthetic biology
competition, is a hotbed for new do-it-yourself biology projects. The competition replicates the do-it-yourself biology environment by allotting each team a kit of biological parts and encouraging teams to design their own parts as well. The goal for each team is to design a useful, innovative biological system. Arising from this competition in the past few years are projects like bacteria that breakdown plastic waste in landfills to make it biodegradable, and ‘Dr. Coli,’ a self-regulating drug delivery system that, when it senses inflammation
in the body, releases an appropriate dose of medicine to the inflamed area and withdraws when the inflammation subsides.
DIYbio is open-source, meaning designs and projects are not patented. To this end, bio-hackers argue that innovation in the traditional biotechnology world is already being slowed by the red tape associated with patents, and it will be a travesty when the day arrives where a much needed vaccine or cure is delayed or priced out of a needy market by the same red tape (some would argue, in fact, that this is already true of malaria and HIV treatments in poorer nations). Another advantage to the open source methodology is that any bio-hacker can easily build on and advance parts or systems designed by another bio-hacker. To bio-hackers, spreading knowledge is a higher priority than turning profits.
Much of the enthusiasm for do-it-yourself biology arises from the concept that small, entrepreneurial businesses, not large global corporations, are often the ones that introduce brilliant new ideas and technologies to the world. It is the large, global corporations that commercialize these innovations. The way the bio-hackers see it, do-it-yourself biology is essentially an enormous number of small companies doing free research anddevelopment. DIYbio wants to revise the notion that you must be an academic with an advanced to degree to make any significant contribution to the biology community.
The local New York City DIYbio group holds weekly meetings at NYC Resistor’s space. Russell Durrett, one of the founders of DIYbio NYC, says in a video that the group's goals include providing lab space to individuals with cool biology projects that normally would not have access to a lab and connecting biologists with investors who can fund their projects. Linda Caplinger, a member of DIYbio NYC, states that the local NYC group would eventually like to participate in iGEM. It appears that the group is gearing up to enter the 1st Annual World Maker Faire
in New York on September 25 and 26, 2010 at the New York Hall of Science. Maker Faire, first held in 2006, is a fair that brings together science, art, craft, engineering, and music in a fun, energized, and exciting public forum. The aim is to inspire people of all ages to roll up their sleeves and become tinkerers.
DIYbio was featured at a table in Newcastle Maker Faire in March, 2010, with DNA extraction experiments and projects involving isolation of luminescent bacteria being demonstrated or given away. The Dremel-powered centrifuge, printed by Shapeways (who also held a table at the event), was presented as an example of how Biotech can be made more accessible. A presentation on the potential of DIYbio and synthetic biology gathered a sizeable attendance.
and genetic engineering
already receive, plus other concerns relating to the distributed and non-institutional nature of the work. It is often alleged, for example, that an individual might attempt to or inadvertently create a biological weapon in their home, without the knowledge of regulators.
While these fears accompany many new areas of research and development, they are legitimized by the re-creation of the 1917 flu virus by Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
researchers in 2005 and other projects involving deadly viruses. While no DIYbio project to date has involved harmful agents, the fear remains foremost in the minds of both regulators and laypersons.
However, this fear is not necessarily warranted. It is often pointed out that DIYbio is at too early a stage to consider such advanced projects feasible, as few successful transformative genetics projects have been undertaken yet. It is also worth noting that, while an individual could conceivably do harm with sufficient skill and intent, there exist biology labs throughout the world with greater access to the technology, skill and funding to accomplish a bioweapons
project. Many of these labs can be found in countries such as Iran or North Korea. The United States of America, in fact, has one of the world's most advanced bioweapons research programs. Against a background of large, well-funded institutional war research, it seems unlikely that an individual will be the source of a bioweapon in the near or medium term.
Nevertheless, internal discussions and proposed projects for DIYbio members often include discussion of risk mitigation and public perception. An oft-discussed topic is the search for a convenient and safe "model organism
" for DIYbio which would evoke less suspicion than E.coli. Suggestions include Janthinobacterium lividum, Bacillus subtilis
, Acetobacteria or Gluconacetobacter spp., and baker's yeast
. A list of potential biosafe organisms was drawn up by the National Center for Biotechnology Education.
While detractors argue that do-it-yourself biologists need some sort of supervision, enthusiasts argue that uniform supervision is impossible and the best way to prevent accidents or malevolence is to encourage a culture of transparency, where, in essence, do-it-yourself biologists would be peer reviewed by other bio-hackers. Enthusiasts argue that fear of potential hazards should be met with increased research and education rather than closing the door on the profound positive impacts that distributed biological technology will have on human health, the environment, and the standard of living around the world. Due to the lack of precedent regarding such a business model, the DIYbio founders see this as an opportunity to be innovators in regulatory and safety policy.
Examples
The following examples of do-it-yourself biology projects will give a better understanding of what exactly DIYbio is all about. An Irish bio-hacker named Cathal Garvey created an adapter that can be printed on a MakerBot (or any 3D printer). When attached to a DremelDremel
Dremel is a brand of power tools known primarily for their rotary tools. The tools were originally developed by Albert J. Dremel, who founded the Dremel Company in 1932 in Racine, Wisconsin. In 1993, the company was purchased by Robert Bosch GmbH, and today it is a division of the Robert Bosch Tool...
tool it creates a centrifuge
Centrifuge
A centrifuge is a piece of equipment, generally driven by an electric motor , that puts an object in rotation around a fixed axis, applying a force perpendicular to the axis...
capable of performing to the standard of many lab standard models. This creation dropped the price of a centrifuge from thousands to a few dollars and made the technology much more widely available. Other examples of bio-hacker creations include printable hip-replacement joints and a process that allows DNA extraction to be performed in a shot glass.
History
DIYbio entered the San Francisco programmer and MakerMake (magazine)
Make is an American quarterly magazine published by O'Reilly Media which focuses on do it yourself and/or DIWO projects involving computers, electronics, robotics, metalworking, woodworking and other disciplines...
communities as early as 2005, through demonstrations of DIYbio experiments. One such example is the CodeCon
CodeCon
CodeCon was an annual conference for hackers and technology enthusiasts, held every year between 2002 and 2009. CodeCon was not intended to be a computer security conference, but a conference with a focus on developers doing presentations of technologies, rather than products.-History:Bram Cohen...
presentation in 2005 in which Meredith L. Patterson
Meredith L. Patterson
Meredith L. Patterson is an American technologist, science fiction author, and journalist. She has spoken at numerous industry conferences on a wide range of topics...
(another early contributor to the DIYbio network) demonstrated the purification of DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
with common household items during a presentation on SciTools, a recombinant DNA
Recombinant DNA
Recombinant DNA molecules are DNA sequences that result from the use of laboratory methods to bring together genetic material from multiple sources, creating sequences that would not otherwise be found in biological organisms...
design tool. As DIYbio experiments became the focus of SuperHappyDevHouse
SuperHappyDevHouse
SuperHappyDevHouse is an international series of social events which organizers originally conceived as parties for hackers and thinkers. Founded May 29, 2005 by Jeff Lindsay and David Weekly , SHDH in Silicon Valley began by hosting 150 to 200 people every six weeks at rotating venues throughout...
hackers, the hobby gained additional momentum. Many hackerspace
Hackerspace
A hackerspace or hackspace is a location where people with common interests, often in computers, technology, science, or digital or electronic art can meet, socialise and/or collaborate...
s, such as Noisebridge
Noisebridge
Noisebridge is an award winning anarchistic educational hackerspace in San Francisco, inspired by the Chaos Computer Club and other hacker organizations. It is a registered non-profit California corporation, with IRS 501 charitable status...
, are offering lab space to DIYbio groups, further exposing otherwise biology-naive technologists to the art and science of synthetic biology
Synthetic biology
Synthetic biology is a new area of biological research that combines science and engineering. It encompasses a variety of different approaches, methodologies, and disciplines with a variety of definitions...
.
In April 2009, the first conference with a DIYbio focus was held; CodeCon
CodeCon
CodeCon was an annual conference for hackers and technology enthusiasts, held every year between 2002 and 2009. CodeCon was not intended to be a computer security conference, but a conference with a focus on developers doing presentations of technologies, rather than products.-History:Bram Cohen...
, produced by Len Sassaman
Len Sassaman
Len Sassaman was an advocate for privacy, maintainer of the Mixmaster anonymous remailer code and remop of the randseed remailer.He was employed as the security architect and senior systems engineer for Anonymizer...
and Bram Cohen
Bram Cohen
Bram Cohen is an American computer programmer, best known as the author of the peer-to-peer BitTorrent protocol, as well as the first file sharing program to use the protocol, also known as BitTorrent...
, replaced 1/3 of its normal program with a special BioHack! track. Along with other early citizen-scientists, Mackenzie Cowell spoke at this event, exposing more of the San Francisco underground code-hacking community to the concepts of DIYbio. DIYBio has now become a popular conference topic; it was the topic of the 2010 Humanity+ Summit at Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
(subtitled "Rise of the Citizen Scientist"), the Outlaw Biology Summit at UCLA and is included in the program of the Open Science Summit at University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
.
The blending of biology expertise gained from experimentation, and software development, quality control, awareness of open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
principles, and security expertise transferred from the professional work of many DIYbio enthusiasts, has led to a unique subculture
Subculture
In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a group of people with a culture which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong.- Definition :...
among this community, with some members referring to themselves as biopunk
Biopunk
Biopunk is a term used to describe:# A hobbyist who experiments with DNA and other aspects of genetics.# A technoprogressive movement advocating open access to genetic information....
s in reference to the cypherpunks of the turn of the century. The work 'A Biopunk Manifesto' delivered by Patterson at the UCLA conference lays down the principles of the biopunk movement, in an homage to the prior work of cypherpunk Eric Hughes
Eric Hughes
Eric Hughes was a rugby league footballer for the Widnes Vikings, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and for the Great Britain national side. He unwittingly added confusion to the Canterbury side as he played at the same time as the three Hughes brothers Garry, Graeme and Mark.Hughes coached Rochdale...
. Patrik Ronnqvist, a Swedish biopunk who owns the domain biopunk.org, characterizes the difference between DIYbio and biopunk as being one of goals; he claims DIYbio hobbyists are more interested in building their own equipment, possibly due to a Maker
Make (magazine)
Make is an American quarterly magazine published by O'Reilly Media which focuses on do it yourself and/or DIWO projects involving computers, electronics, robotics, metalworking, woodworking and other disciplines...
influence, whereas the biopunks are more focused on results, and are thus open to outside contracting of gene sequencing and other procedures necessary for synthetic biology experiments. That a significant proportion of the DIYbio mailing list membership are openly in support of outsourcing DNA synthesis and sequencing makes it difficult to determine whether this definition truly applies; in general, the two hobbies are difficult to distinguish and share a common community. Both are forms of citizen science
Citizen science
Citizen science is a term used for the systematic collection and analysis of data; development of technology; testing of natural phenomena; and the dissemination of these activities by researchers on a primarily avocational basis...
.
Relation to other open source groups
The International Genetically Engineered Machine competition (iGEMIGEM
The International Genetically Engineered Machine competition is a worldwide Synthetic Biology competition aimed at undergraduate university students.- Competition details :...
), the premiere undergraduate synthetic biology
Synthetic biology
Synthetic biology is a new area of biological research that combines science and engineering. It encompasses a variety of different approaches, methodologies, and disciplines with a variety of definitions...
competition, is a hotbed for new do-it-yourself biology projects. The competition replicates the do-it-yourself biology environment by allotting each team a kit of biological parts and encouraging teams to design their own parts as well. The goal for each team is to design a useful, innovative biological system. Arising from this competition in the past few years are projects like bacteria that breakdown plastic waste in landfills to make it biodegradable, and ‘Dr. Coli,’ a self-regulating drug delivery system that, when it senses inflammation
Inflammation
Inflammation is part of the complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. Inflammation is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli and to initiate the healing process...
in the body, releases an appropriate dose of medicine to the inflamed area and withdraws when the inflammation subsides.
DIYbio is open-source, meaning designs and projects are not patented. To this end, bio-hackers argue that innovation in the traditional biotechnology world is already being slowed by the red tape associated with patents, and it will be a travesty when the day arrives where a much needed vaccine or cure is delayed or priced out of a needy market by the same red tape (some would argue, in fact, that this is already true of malaria and HIV treatments in poorer nations). Another advantage to the open source methodology is that any bio-hacker can easily build on and advance parts or systems designed by another bio-hacker. To bio-hackers, spreading knowledge is a higher priority than turning profits.
Much of the enthusiasm for do-it-yourself biology arises from the concept that small, entrepreneurial businesses, not large global corporations, are often the ones that introduce brilliant new ideas and technologies to the world. It is the large, global corporations that commercialize these innovations. The way the bio-hackers see it, do-it-yourself biology is essentially an enormous number of small companies doing free research anddevelopment. DIYbio wants to revise the notion that you must be an academic with an advanced to degree to make any significant contribution to the biology community.
The local New York City DIYbio group holds weekly meetings at NYC Resistor’s space. Russell Durrett, one of the founders of DIYbio NYC, says in a video that the group's goals include providing lab space to individuals with cool biology projects that normally would not have access to a lab and connecting biologists with investors who can fund their projects. Linda Caplinger, a member of DIYbio NYC, states that the local NYC group would eventually like to participate in iGEM. It appears that the group is gearing up to enter the 1st Annual World Maker Faire
Maker Faire
Maker Faire is an event created by Make magazine to "celebrate arts, crafts, engineering, science projects and the Do-It-Yourself mindset".-Past events:The first was held April 22 – 23, 2006, at the San Mateo Fairgrounds...
in New York on September 25 and 26, 2010 at the New York Hall of Science. Maker Faire, first held in 2006, is a fair that brings together science, art, craft, engineering, and music in a fun, energized, and exciting public forum. The aim is to inspire people of all ages to roll up their sleeves and become tinkerers.
DIYbio was featured at a table in Newcastle Maker Faire in March, 2010, with DNA extraction experiments and projects involving isolation of luminescent bacteria being demonstrated or given away. The Dremel-powered centrifuge, printed by Shapeways (who also held a table at the event), was presented as an example of how Biotech can be made more accessible. A presentation on the potential of DIYbio and synthetic biology gathered a sizeable attendance.
Controversy
DIYbio experiences many of the same criticisms as synthetic biologySynthetic biology
Synthetic biology is a new area of biological research that combines science and engineering. It encompasses a variety of different approaches, methodologies, and disciplines with a variety of definitions...
and genetic engineering
Genetic engineering
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct human manipulation of an organism's genome using modern DNA technology. It involves the introduction of foreign DNA or synthetic genes into the organism of interest...
already receive, plus other concerns relating to the distributed and non-institutional nature of the work. It is often alleged, for example, that an individual might attempt to or inadvertently create a biological weapon in their home, without the knowledge of regulators.
While these fears accompany many new areas of research and development, they are legitimized by the re-creation of the 1917 flu virus by Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology was a US government institution concerned with diagnostic consultation, education, and research in the medical specialty of pathology. It was founded in 1862 as the Army Medical Museum and was located in Washington, DC on the grounds of the Walter Reed Army...
researchers in 2005 and other projects involving deadly viruses. While no DIYbio project to date has involved harmful agents, the fear remains foremost in the minds of both regulators and laypersons.
However, this fear is not necessarily warranted. It is often pointed out that DIYbio is at too early a stage to consider such advanced projects feasible, as few successful transformative genetics projects have been undertaken yet. It is also worth noting that, while an individual could conceivably do harm with sufficient skill and intent, there exist biology labs throughout the world with greater access to the technology, skill and funding to accomplish a bioweapons
Biological warfare
Biological warfare is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi with intent to kill or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war...
project. Many of these labs can be found in countries such as Iran or North Korea. The United States of America, in fact, has one of the world's most advanced bioweapons research programs. Against a background of large, well-funded institutional war research, it seems unlikely that an individual will be the source of a bioweapon in the near or medium term.
Nevertheless, internal discussions and proposed projects for DIYbio members often include discussion of risk mitigation and public perception. An oft-discussed topic is the search for a convenient and safe "model organism
Model organism
A model organism is a non-human species that is extensively studied to understand particular biological phenomena, with the expectation that discoveries made in the organism model will provide insight into the workings of other organisms. Model organisms are in vivo models and are widely used to...
" for DIYbio which would evoke less suspicion than E.coli. Suggestions include Janthinobacterium lividum, Bacillus subtilis
Bacillus subtilis
Bacillus subtilis, known also as the hay bacillus or grass bacillus, is a Gram-positive, catalase-positive bacterium commonly found in soil. A member of the genus Bacillus, B. subtilis is rod-shaped, and has the ability to form a tough, protective endospore, allowing the organism to tolerate...
, Acetobacteria or Gluconacetobacter spp., and baker's yeast
Yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic micro-organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with 1,500 species currently described estimated to be only 1% of all fungal species. Most reproduce asexually by mitosis, and many do so by an asymmetric division process called budding...
. A list of potential biosafe organisms was drawn up by the National Center for Biotechnology Education.
While detractors argue that do-it-yourself biologists need some sort of supervision, enthusiasts argue that uniform supervision is impossible and the best way to prevent accidents or malevolence is to encourage a culture of transparency, where, in essence, do-it-yourself biologists would be peer reviewed by other bio-hackers. Enthusiasts argue that fear of potential hazards should be met with increased research and education rather than closing the door on the profound positive impacts that distributed biological technology will have on human health, the environment, and the standard of living around the world. Due to the lack of precedent regarding such a business model, the DIYbio founders see this as an opportunity to be innovators in regulatory and safety policy.
External links
- diybio.org (main site)
- OpenWetWare (wiki)
- DIYbio on the News Hour (PBS)