DIY Pharma & Open Insulin Project

Scroggins: 11/17

What is a significant ethical concern associated with the democratization of synthetic biology tools?

A) The tools are too expensive for most researchers.

B) They could be used to create personalized bioweapons targeting individuals.

C) They have limited applications outside of cancer research.

D) They require government approval for all usage.

B) They could be used to create personalized bioweapons targeting individuals.

According to the discussion about hacking presidential DNA, which of the following best describes a challenge regarding the regulation of advanced biotechnology?

A) Current regulations are too strict, slowing down innovation.

B) The high cost of technology creates a barrier for widespread use.

C) It is increasingly difficult to distinguish between legitimate research and research for malicious purposes.

D) Governments have completely banned the use of synthetic biology tools.

C) It is increasingly difficult to distinguish between legitimate research and research for malicious purposes.

What is the stance of intellectual property (IP) in DIYbio labs?

A) Labs encourage 100% of their scientists to get IP rights to their ideas to protect and control knowledge

B) Labs are neutral about IP and do not require a percentage of IP to be developed by lab members

C) Labs ban IP because they believe knowledge should not be protected

D) Labs do not consider IP at all

B) Labs are neutral about IP and do not require a percentage of IP to be developed by lab members

What are the typical characteristics that make something DIY Pharma? Describe how examples of DIY Hormone Replacement Theory described by Wexler and “Housewives Making Drugs” fit under the definition of DIY Pharma.

The typical characteristics that make something DIY Pharma are being developed outside of institutional and professional boundaries, traveling through networks of different expertise, coming from DIYbio labs, being oppositional and having anarchic character, and appearing as an artistic provocation or a disruptive innovation. DIY Hormone Replacement Theory fits under DIY Pharma because it describes individuals experimenting with hormones at home to gain access outside of medical institutions and is self-directed. It developed because institutions failed to meet the needs of people who need it. These people faced barriers to access due to stigma and financial burden. “Housewives Making Drugs” is an artistic provocation that addresses the issue of access to HRT. It is a fictional cooking show that comments on body and gender politics, institutional access to hormones, and everything problematic with heteronormativity.

Using the case study of the Open Insulin Project, describe the problems DIY Pharma faces. To do this, First a) name the conditions that have created the need for such a project, b) goals of the Project,  c) possible ways to implement d) and what the Project would need to take to be successful.

The Open Insulin Project was created because of the extremely high costs of insulin, corporate control and patents, and regulations in pharma that made production slow. The goals of the project were to create affordable open-source insulin outside of pharma, increase access, and promote decentralized biotech. It could be implemented by patients making it at home, community biolabs making it, or licensing it to existing pharma. To be successful, the project would need to overcome regulatory hurdles of production and distribution, lower cost, and decentralization. It is overall difficult to scale.

DIY Bio occurs outside of these kinds of spaces (2 possible terms)

institutional and professional

The risk-reward calculation for this particular method of DIY Bio sometimes has lead to Nobel prizes, but also has sometimes led to death.

self-experimentation

These are the two major hurdles that the Open Insulin Foundation struggles to overcome in competition with big pharma, as do many DIY Bio projects

problems of production and distribution

This term refers to someone who experiments with biology, often outside traditional labs, using DIY techniques to modify organisms or enhance human capabilities.

biohacker

These are some of the reasons for the continued appeal of DIY Pharma, despite the risks. (Name at least 2!)

1) Drug research and clinical trials are slow and expensive

2) The regulatory process is uncertain - at any point your drug can fail. Why not fail faster and more cheaply?

3) There is a long, and richly rewarded, history of self-experimentation in science