The Promises and Realities of Integration in Synthetic Biology: A View From Social Science

Is Public Engagement in Bioengineering and Synthetic Biology Improving Research Outcomes?

Engaging diverse publics on the acceptability of large-scale biology applications such as gene drives is held in high regard by the international research community. The development of gene drives to suppress invasive and pest species and improvements to the sustainability of food systems are examples of integrative biology applications in engineering and ecology with the potential for large-scale research impact. Despite a global collective intention to ensure disruptive technologies are in broad alignment with wider social and public values, evidence of applied research organizations integrating the knowledge acquired from social research is hard to find. Concrete mechanisms to ensure public perspectives affect science decision-making are yet to emerge. We offer avenues for making inroads in what we identify as a remaining gap in public engagement research in the fields of synthetic biology and bioengineering.