Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 19, 2026

A Multilayer Microfluidic Platform for the Conduction of Prolonged Cell-Free Gene Expression
Published on: October 6, 2019
Synthetic biology's self-fulfilling prophecy--dangers of confinement from within and outside
Daniel Frank1, Reinhard Heil, Christopher Coenen
1Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany. daniel.frank@kit.edu.
Abstract:
A too narrow focus on engineering and application may confine the development of synthetic biology: this Forum article provides reasons to suggest that knowledge could remain related to intended functions and applications, and not flow back from application to (deeper biological) understanding. Concurrently, such an engineering/application focus may 'attract' and feed strategic policy schemes, in turn enhancing the need for applicability as a prerequisite of knowledge production. This self-reinforcing loop--driven from within and outside the field--could ultimately restrict future knowledge and benefits from synthetic biology.
Related Concept Videos
Synthetic Biology
Golden rice
Golden rice is a genetically modified...
The Stanford Prison Experiment
Stereotype Threat and Self-fulfilling Prophecies
What is Genetic Engineering?
The Central Dogma
RNA is the Missing Link Between DNA and Proteins
In the early 1900s, scientists discovered that DNA stores all the information needed for cellular functions and that proteins perform most of these functions. However, the mechanisms of converting genetic information into functional proteins remained unknown for many years. Initially, it was believed that a single gene is...
Bioreactor Controls-III

