Synthetic biology (SynBio) is a field of science that involves redesigning organisms for useful purposes by engineering them to have new abilities. Unlike genome editing, where scientists use tools to make smaller changes to the organism’s own DNA, in synthetic biology, scientists stitch together long stretches of DNA and insert them into an organism’s genome. These synthesized pieces of DNA could be genes that are found in other organisms or they could be entirely novel.
AU Recommendation on Synthetic Biology
A survey conducted by the African Union High-Level Panel on Emerging Technologies (APET) identified Synthetic Biology as one of ten emerging technologies as priority areas of relevance for Africa’s socio-economic development.
AUDA-NEPAD’s African Biosafety Network of Expertise (ABNE) regulates the development and testing of SynBio. ABNE’s overall goal is to enhance the capacity of African countries to build functional biosafety regulatory systems. While this network is in place, it largely focuses on agricultural biotechnology, leaving a glaring gap on health biotechnology and specifically SynBio.
Current Developments on Synthetic Biology in Africa
The development and testing of SynBio for health is taking place in several countries across sub-Saharan Africa.
- In 2020, the Government of Kenya funded research on synthetic biology under the country’s National Research Fund with the aim of employing synthetic biology innovations in addressing intractable challenges in food security and healthcare. A multidisciplinary team of local researchers lead this ongoing research, which aims to harness the power of synthetic biology to provide viable solutions to delayed disease surveillance and intervention in the country.
- In 2021, participants from 20 countries gathered in Kampala, Uganda, for the Inaugural Synthetic Biology and Biosecurity Conference. The conference brought together synthetic biology enthusiasts, scientists, data scientists, bioinformaticians, researchers, ethicists, policymakers, synthetic biology companies, and industries across Africa, with the view to deepening the understanding of, and fostering the implementation of synthetic biology and biosecurity on the African continent.
- SynBio Africa convenes researchers, students, citizen scientists, policymakers and the public at large to strategize and develop pathways for the propagation of SynBio technologies and their resultant products and services throughout Africa.
- Biomaker Africa trains biologists and non-biologists on SynBio and share science hardware which is critical to building SynBio tools.
Regulation of Synthetic Biology in Africa
SynBio approaches build on modern biotechnology, hence certain provisions currently contained in the genetically modified organisms (GMO) regulations of many African countries may be extended to it. However, the regulatory frameworks for SynBio products including synthetic organisms across countries in sub-Saharan Africa are yet to be developed.
As SynBio produces complex organisms, there will be a need to develop regulations for more comprehensive risk analysis. Notably, even African countries with well-established systems for regulation of GMOs such as Kenya and South Africa, are yet to put in place regulations that are specifically meant for SynBio.
Notably, African countries are increasingly adopting GMOs, including Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, and eSwatini and these might find it easy to adopt SynBio. In 2019, Nigeria amended the National Biosafety Management Agency Act of 2015 to include the regulation of such emerging gene technology approaches as gene drive, gene editing and synthetic biology, and to ensure biosecurity, followed by National Guidelines for the Regulation of Gene Editing.
Policy Recommendations for Synthetic Biology
To ensure safe and effective use of synthetic biology to improve health outcomes in Africa, countries should:
- Establish comprehensive legal and regulatory frameworks for synthetic biology (SynBio) in health to address its unique complexities. The frameworks should outline standards for testing, monitoring, and risk assessment of SynBio organisms.
- Build capacity within African regulatory bodies to understand opportunities and manage the risks associated with SynBio in health.
- Foster collaboration among African countries to create harmonised biosafety standards for SynBio. Regional initiatives could help countries share best practices, pool resources, and enhance regulatory capacity.
- Allocate adequate domestic resources toward the development of SynBio solutions targeting Africa’s health challenges, such as delayed disease surveillance, diagnostics, and treatment of infectious diseases.
- Ensure that ethical issues are embedded in SynBio research and applications.