Abstract
In the first decade of the twenty-first century, biohacking—a portmanteau of biology and hacking—emerged within garages, as well as other domicile locations, and was initially called garage biology. These biohackers spawned a new field of Do-It-Yourself biology or DIYbio that owes its origins to the rise of synthetic biology. And DIYbio has expanded to include other disciplines from DIY genetics to DIY medicine. For example, the #WeAreNotWaiting movement led to the development of a DIY artificial pancreas system to manage type 1 diabetes (https://diyps.org/tag/wearenotwaiting/). Biohacking, especially DIY medicine (and open source medicine), has also come under the scrutiny of healthcare professionals and academics. Moreover, the biohacking movement has been closely associated with transhumanism. Regulatory, technical, and ethical challenges are currently facing biohacking, DIYbio, DIY medicine, and transhumanism. Indeed, how to evaluate and regulate current biohacking technologies present a major challenge for society, especially as biohackers push towards a transhumanist future. One of the major regulatory challenges is that the FDA can regulate over-the-counter kits, such as DIY CRISPR kits for genetic engineering, but the agency cannot regulate how these kits are used, especially for self-experimentation. In the study, the biology and ethics of biohacking and transhumanism are explored along with the impact they will have on human health and wellness in the twenty-first century.
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
Public Health Policies and Practices
KEYWORDS
Biohacking, Health, Transhumanism
