New Inventory Tracks Growth of Synthetic Biology Products and Applications
Synthetic Biology Project Asks for Input into First-of-its-kind Inventory
WASHINGTON, April 29, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Wilson Center's Synthetic Biology Project today officially unveiled a first-of-its-kind inventory to track products and applications using the emerging technology of synthetic biology.
The interactive inventory, which seeks to crowdsource expertise to provide the most accurate information about products, applications, companies and market status, finds the market rapidly advancing into food, agriculture, medicine, personal care products, chemicals and more. The inventory can be found here: http://www.synbioproject.org/cpi/
"As the U.S. government, the United Nations and other bodies start to grapple with the governance and regulation of synthetic biology, it is imperative to track the market and understand the sectors primed for growth," says Dr. Todd Kuiken, a senior program associate with the Synthetic Biology Project. "As more products and platforms move onto the market, there will be increased demand for risk research to underpin regulatory decisions."
Synthetic biology is a rapidly changing technology platform. The data represented in this inventory is a limited first attempt to compile a picture of the market and may not represent the most current developments in any particular product category, company or market status.
Registered users of the inventory can update current product information, upload supporting scientific studies and add new products. In the future, more information will be added to the inventory about required feedstocks for products and applications, potential agency-based regulatory authority, market values and lifecycle assessments.
The Wilson Center's Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies manages a similar inventory (http://www.nanotechproject.org/cpi/ ) tracking the use of nanoscale materials in consumer products. First released in 2005, that inventory was updated in 2013 and has been widely cited to illustrate the growth of products utilizing nanotechnology.
The Synthetic Biology Products and Applications Inventory can be found here: http://www.synbioproject.org/cpi/
About the Synthetic Biology Project
The Synthetic Biology Project is an initiative of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars supported by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The project aims to foster informed public and policy discourse concerning the advancement of synthetic biology. For more information, visit: http://www.synbioproject.org
About The Wilson Center
The Wilson Center provides a strictly nonpartisan space for the worlds of policymaking and scholarship to interact. By conducting relevant and timely research and promoting dialogue from all perspectives, it works to address the critical current and emerging challenges confronting the United States and the world. For more information, visit: http://www.wilsoncenter.org
SOURCE The Wilson Center
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