The Pros And Cons Of Producing A Minimal Genome

The idea of producing a minimal genome is something that I would agree is not necessarily violating any ethical principles, as long as we limit its use. Minimal genomes would allow for the production of organisms of all forms, prokaryotic and eukaryotic, unicellular and multicellular, to be used for all types of purposes, since organisms could be built from the ground up and have desirable genes inserted into their genomes. Researchers have previously worked to modify currently existing organisms to better suit our needs, such as genetically modified crops that are more resistant to disease and genetically modified bacteria that can break down oil spills. It would seem that simply producing exactly what we want out of an organism would be the next logical step. However, this initiation of synthetic life has some ethical considerations that must first be

Moreover, researchers must clearly delineate what their intentions are surrounding their investigation into minimal genomes, with ethical review boards taking extra care to ensure entanglements with societal implications are handled carefully. Minimal genome research done with the primary intention of selfish gain, such as to “build” ideal humans, or to inflict harm on certain individuals should be prevented from occurring. I feel that the hardest thing to contain surrounding this issue is the fact that once minimal genome technology is refined, there will continue to be people with malicious aims who will attempt to exploit it beyond the clutches of ethical review boards. So, even though I would hope that the efforts being made in this area are with the best hopes for societal improvement in mind, all bets are off on what might be done behind the