Home
Notebook
People

Responsible Research in the Engineering Biology for Advanced Therapeutics Hub
We have developed a programme of social scientific research on responsible research and innovation within the UKRI supported Engineered Genetic Control Systems for Advanced Therapeutics Mission Hub.
One of the recent applications of engineering biology is in the fields of gene and cell therapy. The ‘living medicines’ being developed have the potential to challenge existing social, legal and regulatory categories, and a clearer understanding of their potential societal ramifications is important.
To generate a fuller picture of the problem space of these nascent technologies, we seek to understand the meanings and social imaginaries that emerge from and inform the shift from ‘artisanal’ to ‘engineered’ living therapeutics. At the same time, we need to engage with the new forms of biosocial life – collaborations, communities, dependencies, interest groups and economies– that are being constructed along with these novel technologies.
Our programme of research will engage with these issues within and beyond the Engineered Genetic Control Systems for Advanced Therapeutics Mission Hub. We will organise our research around three foci, each reflecting aspects of the trajectory of innovation for advanced therapeutics: Developing Tools, Towards Applications and Broadening Engagement. Underpinning these will be a suite of activities and events intended to foster the creation of time and space for meaningful interdisciplinary exchange and collaboration, and thus build capacity for Responsible Research across the Hub and beyond.
Our work is connected to the Advanced Therapeutics Mission Hub, itself a part of the UKRI funded National Engineering Biology Programme. Based in Edinburgh, it represents a multi-institutional, 5-year commitment to developing engineering biology-based techniques for use in gene therapies for patients with serious conditions.
Our work with the Hub builds on previous work with the UK Centre for Mammalian Synthetic Biology, the Engineering Biology for Cell and Gene Applications Transition Award, as well as our years of collective experience of studying and teaching the social aspects of synthetic biology and the biosciences generally.
Keep up to date with our work via the Notebook and follow us on Bluesky @engineeringlife.bsky.social