Joy Zhang

I am honoured to lead Care-full Synthesis, a five-year social science programme associated with Synthetic Human Genome (SynHG) research, led by Professor Jason Chin (Ellison Institute of Technology Oxford), Professor Patrick Cai (University of Manchester), Professor Tom Ellis (Imperial College London and Professor Julian Sales (University of Cambridge).

The ability to write large genomes has the potential to transform our understanding of human health—opening up opportunities to develop cell therapies, climate-resistant crops, and more.

With Care-full Synthesis, through empirical studies across Europe, the Asia-Pacific, Africa, and the Americas, we aim to establish a new paradigm for accountable scientific and innovative practices in a global age: One that explores the full potential of synthesising technical possibilities and diverse socio-ethical perspectives—with care.”

Among other areas, Care-full Synthesis will examine:

• different societal priorities and perceptions about large genome synthesis research around the world
• how to include diverse perspectives in knowledge production
• how new knowledge can be shared responsibly and fairly
• policy requirements to ensure the research can be applied effectively and respectfully across regions and communities—if and when desired

You can read the Wellcome Trust’s announcement here:
👉 https://wellcome.org/news/researchers-take-first-steps-creating-synthetic-human-genomes

Alternatively, watch Wellcome Trust’s Discovery Awards Lead, Dr Tom Collins, introduce the project here:
👉 https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7348631324426924032/

Jason and I also joined the Science in Action programme to discuss SynHG—it’s always a pleasure to speak with the BBC World Service’s audience:
🎧 https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct6yfh (starting at 17:00)

For a more detailed engagement with Care-full Synthesis, see this feature in The Debrief, which explores the social science dimensions of SynHG:
📰 https://thedebrief.org/controversial-synthetic-human-genome-project-spurs-debate-over-ethics-of-building-human-dna-from-scratch/

A synthetic human genome remains decades away. Over the next five years, the SynHG project will build the foundational tools to enable this future. But now is precisely the time for broad societal discussion—to ensure our socio-legal infrastructure evolves to support the responsible and equitable uptake of these technologies, maximising their potential for individual wellbeing and the common good.

On this, I recently had a lively debate with Dr David King on Times Radio (26 June). While I share his concerns about potential misuse and the undesirable norms that could emerge from synthesising large human genomes—as with any powerful new technology—I do not share the pessimism that “society cannot push back.”

We must recognise the diverse and complex needs of different communities—and refuse to see them as passive or powerless. Everyone has insight and agency to inform and shape science.

The future is ours to shape—together, with care.