BEACON understands that bioethical issues need to be addressed at every point of the research process. However, it is perhaps just as important to consider potential uses of our project beyond the lab, and how the decisions taken in the lab might shape them. This report on the bioethics of BEACON outlines both our strengths and any areas of improvement to be considered in future developments of the project.
To accurately determine our project’s compliance with current bioethical standards, the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights [1] was selected as the framework for a bioethical report. The Declaration outlines 15 broad international principles that ensure that human life and rights remain respected as science and technology advance. The following aspects of our project have been considered for the report: project aims, current lab practices, and future project applications.
The aim of our project is to provide a cheap, sustainable alternative to lanthanide mining by recycling existing lanthanides present in electronic waste. Article 3 of the Declaration, titled Human dignity and human rights, highlights that an individual’s interests should come before any scientific or societal benefits, which fits our goals of reducing the environmental impact of both lanthanide extraction and electronic waste.
The aim of decreasing greenhouse gas and harsh chemical release into the environment (Article 17: Protection of the environment, the biosphere and biodiversity), leads to an improvement of human quality of life and prevention of related diseases, thus also following the principle of Social responsibility and health (Article 14c), which refers to using science to improve our wellbeing. Moreover, we follow strict containment protocols in our laboratory that reflect the guidance of the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens in the UK [2]. This way, no genetically modified bacteria are released into the environment, preventing them from having a negative impact on both biodiversity and human health, again corresponding to Articles 17 and 14c.
Going beyond the interests of current living humans, switching to a circular extraction method is a step towards maintaining a liveable environment for future generations, and serves as a preventive measure against long-term lanthanide depletion, matching Article 16: Protecting future generations.
Lanthanide sources are scarce and concentrated in a handful of countries. Countries that do not have their own lanthanide resources depend on lanthanide imports, thus creating a monopoly and exacerbating existing socio-economic inequalities. If our project were to be implemented at an industrial scale, it would allow for domestic lanthanide recycling and reusing without the need for imports, which reflects the values of Article 10: Equality, justice and equity.
However, even though our project aims closely match the guidelines in the Declaration, concerns have been raised both from within the team and from stakeholders regarding the future applications of our technology.
Specifically, upscaling our project would require the cultivation of a high volume of bacteria. This significantly increases the risk of GMOs accidentally getting released into the environment. Moreover, our project would generate a high amount of GMO-contaminated waste. This raises the question of whether it is ethical to carry out the project on a larger scale, given that it comes with a risk towards the environment and humans.
Additionally, we acknowledge that besides its positive environmental impacts, our project could generate revenue by selling the extracted lanthanides, which might create a cobra effect. In the drive to increase profitability, any enterprise that could use our technology might be incentivised to contribute to e-waste generation, make compromises on the sustainability aspect of the process, or prevent the development of more sustainable technologies. Likewise, companies might withhold our technology from being replicated, thus limiting its positive impact. Not only would these actions contradict our project aims, but they would also go against all the bioethical principles mentioned in the articles above.
To manage the risk of GMOs getting released in the case of upscaling, rigorous protocols must be put in place to reduce the chances of environmental harm to a negligible level. The GMO-contaminated waste would need to be sterilised before disposal, which we plan on doing using lyases to reduce the environmental impact of the process. Additionally, to maintain biocontainment, our mutant strain can be further modified to be an auxotroph, thus preventing its survival outside containment without the required nutrient. Together, these procedures might make the upscaling ethically permissible despite the risks.
To prevent the misuse of our genetically modified organism, the ideal solution would have been to patent it. However, as we presented our research extensively on our iGEM Wiki and at the two UK iGEM meet-ups, it is now not eligible for a patent [3]. Still, material transfer agreements (MTAs) can still be used to establish the terms on which our GMO can be used by external companies, which would include clauses regarding biosafety and regular sustainability audits. The consequences for breaching the MTA would include the termination of the agreement. Moreover, an open-source approach can be used to ensure that the GMO is available to a larger audience, assuming that the users will follow a code of conduct for appropriate use.
After carefully reviewing several aspects of our research process, our current research practices and intentions for its use match the values of the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights. Unfortunately, there is a lack of clarity on how our technology can be ethically upscaled and sustainably used beyond the lab. However, this bioethical report identified several solutions to be considered in the process of delivering BEACON to the industry, ensuring the continuation of its bioethical success.
In applying and advancing scientific knowledge, medical practice and associated technologies, direct and indirect benefits to patients, research participants and other affected individuals should be maximized and any possible harm to such individuals should be minimized.
The autonomy of persons to make decisions, while taking responsibility for those decisions and respecting the autonomy of others, is to be respected. For persons who are not capable of exercising autonomy, special measures are to be taken to protect their rights and interests.
In accordance with domestic law, special protection is to be given to persons who do not have the capacity to consent:
In applying and advancing scientific knowledge, medical practice and associated technologies, human vulnerability should be taken into account. Individuals and groups of special vulnerability should be protected and the personal integrity of such individuals respected.
The privacy of the persons concerned and the confidentiality of their personal information should be respected. To the greatest extent possible, such information should not be used or disclosed for purposes other than those for which it was collected or consented to, consistent with international law, in particular international human rights law.
The fundamental equality of all human beings in dignity and rights is to be respected so that they are treated justly and equitably.
No individual or group should be discriminated against or stigmatized on any grounds, in violation of human dignity, human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The importance of cultural diversity and pluralism should be given due regard. However, such considerations are not to be invoked to infringe upon human dignity, human rights and fundamental freedoms, nor upon the principles set out in this Declaration, nor to limit their scope.
Solidarity among human beings and international cooperation towards that end are to be encouraged.
The impact of life sciences on future generations, including on their genetic constitution, should be given due regard.
Due regard is to be given to the interconnection between human beings and other forms of life, to the importance of appropriate access and utilization of biological and genetic resources, to respect for traditional knowledge and to the role of human beings in the protection of the environment, the biosphere and biodiversity.
^[1] Ten Have, H. and Stanton-Jean, M. (2009) The UNESCO universal declaration on bioethics and human rights: Background, principles and application. Paris: UNESCO Publishing.
^[2] Management and operation of microbiological containment laboratories (2019). Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens (ACDP).
^[3] Service, G.D. (2015) Apply for a patent, GOV.UK. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/patent-your-invention (Accessed: 27 September 2024).