Edited by Jennifer Sills

Shaping the future of synthetic biology OVER THE PAST few years, a debate has

been taking place within the Convention on Biological Diversity regarding the risks and benefits of organisms, components, and products arising from synthetic biology techniques to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. If synthetic biology were recognized as a new and emerging issue, the Convention would be able to develop rules governing its use. The voices and expertise of the scientific community have been mostly silent in this debate. In October 2014, about 20 of the 168 countries that are signatories to the Convention determined that there was insufficient information to make this designation and established an online forum and expert working group to collect more information in order to make a final recommendation to the Conference of the Parties by December 2016 (1). The United States is not a signatory to the Convention and therefore has limited influence on the process and final decisions. Although the United States will not be bound by the Convention, any researcher or company planning on developing or deploying synthetic biology in the other 168 countries that are signatories will be affected. It is therefore critical that the scientific community become actively engaged in this process. There is an open call for information related to synthetic biology to be submitted by 30 April (2). Issues being considered include (i) how to address the relationship between synthetic biology and biological diversity; (ii) similarities and differences between living modified organisms (as defined in the Cartagena Protocol) and organisms, components, and products of synthetic biology techniques; (iii) operational definition of synthetic biology, comprising inclusion and exclusion criteria; (iv) potential benefits and risks of organisms, components, and products arising from synthetic biology techniques to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and related human health and socioeconomic impacts relevant to the mandate of the Convention and its Protocols; and (v) best practices on risk assessment and monitoring regimes currently used by Parties to the Convention and other governments. 296

There will also be an online forum of experts discussing these issues, beginning on 27 April. If members of the scientific community cannot participate fully as designated experts, they can submit information through the Woodrow Wilson Center, which is a member of the expert online forum. Todd Kuiken Science and Technology Innovation Program, Woodrow, Wilson Center, Washington, DC 20004, USA. E-mail: [email protected] REFERENCES

1. Convention on Biological Diversity, Biosafety ClearingHouse, Tentative calendar of activities related to synthetic biology (https://bch.cbd.int/synbio/calendar). 2. Submission of Information on Synthetic Biology (www. cbd.int/doc/notifications/2015/ntf-2015-013-syntheticbiology-en.pdf?=download)

Combating the next lethal epidemic OVER THE PAST 40 years, we have seen

a consistent pattern of war and conflict leading to the collapse of public health systems and the subsequent reemergence of deadly tropical infections. Outbreaks have undermined the health and livelihoods of individuals, the economic growth of communities, security, and ultimately the development potential of nations. We may now be witnessing the

Colored microscopy of leishmaniasis.

beginnings of a similar pattern in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Outbreaks of a disfiguring skin form of leishmaniasis have affected tens of thousands of people in Syria, including Syrian refugees fleeing to neighboring Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq (1). Polio, measles, rabies, and tuberculosis have also reemerged in Syria (2). Meanwhile, cutaneous leishmaniasis has reached epidemic proportions in parts of Afghanistan, dengue fever cases are mounting in Egypt, and helminth infections remain widespread in Yemen (3). Another concerning trend has been the absence of animal control across borders, which could lead to diseases of livestock such as brucellosis and zoonotic infections transmitted from animals to humans (4). Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) hostilities in Syria and Iraq, and ongoing fighting in Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan place a region that comprises almost 1 million square miles and nearly 270 million people at great risk for serious epidemic infections. Neighboring countries will also be at risk. Now is the time for coordinated local, national, regional, and global action to prepare for the emergence of disease epidemics in this volatile region. UNICEF has set a 2015 goal of vaccinating 16.3 million children against polio in countries hosting Syrian refugees (5). There is urgency to expand the core capacities for health emergency preparedness in the region through the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) (6), including the development of new countermeasures and especially vaccines. Many of the vaccines urgently needed for the MENA region will include those that target diseases of enormous public health importance and yet offer minimal commercial potential. Even with the Developing Country Vaccine Manufacturers Network (DCVMN) (7), the MENA region is relatively dependent on importing vaccines or providing vial fill and finish facilities for imported bulk vaccine materials. This situation has created vulnerabilities to diseases of regional importance. Policy must be shaped to link nascent vaccine capabilities in the MENA region with one or more nonprofit organizations established to develop new biotechnology products for neglected diseases (product development partnerships), including our Sabin Vaccine Institute and Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development based in Houston. The United States can assist through a program of vaccine science diplomacy in selected countries where there is a baseline of scientific strengths, together with political will and interests (8). The international public health sciencemag.org SCIENCE

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LET TERS

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INSIGHTS

OUTSIDE THE TOWER

More than a science camp

D

Campers at Expedición Ciencia perform astronomical observations.

Outside the Tower is an occasional feature highlighting science advocacy projects led by scientists and citizen scientists. How do you advocate for science? Tell us at submit2science.org.

own was the same. Daniel, Iván, and another 38 boys and girls from Argentina and other Latin American countries were attending a science camp held every February by “Expedición Ciencia,” a nongovernmental organization of scientists, educators, and students devoted to promoting science education for children in middle and high school (1). When I was 16 years old, this science camp changed my life. There, I learned how to think scientifically, realized I wanted to pursue a scientific career, and above all forged unconditional friendships. Today, as a passionate Ph.D. student in immunology, I actively participate in this NGO by helping to organize the camp and serving as a junior counselor. At Expedición Ciencia, we challenge 14- to 17-year-olds to ask questions about nature as if they were the first ones in

aniel, a smart and even-tempered boy of 15, lives in a humble neighborhood in the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires without access to Internet or even a phone in his home. He has just completed a handson activity in which he retraced the steps leading Lavoisier to the discovery of oxygen. He looks at me amazed, and exclaims, “I understood things differently! I felt like there was a strong wind inside my head!” Iván, a shy but brilliant 17-year-old, goes to one of the best public schools of Argentina and participates regularly in a range of science-related activities. He turns to me after taking part in a spirited stem cell debate and marvels, “I had the chance to hear good arguments for ideas that contradict my own. I’ve never had that opportunity before.” Despite Daniel and Iván’s disparate experiences, the pleasure they felt when they found answers on their

community was largely blindsided by the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa. A similar situation could arise in the MENA region, but could be averted through innovative and sustained programs of vaccine science diplomacy and global health security.

6. GlobalHealth.gov, Global Health Topics, The Global Health Security Agenda (www.globalhealth.gov/global-healthtopics/global-health-security/ghsagenda.html). 7. DCVMN (www.dcvmn.org). 8. P. J. Hotez, PLOS Negl. Trop. Dis. 8, e2808 (2014). 9. The views presented herein are those of the author and not necessarily those of the U.S. Department of State, White House, or U.S. Government.

Peter J. Hotez U.S. Science Envoy Program, Department of State and White House, Washington, DC 20520, USA; Sabin Vaccine Institute and Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Biology, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76706, USA; James A. Baker III Institute of Public Policy, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA. E-mail: [email protected]

PHOTO: EXPEDICIÓN CIENCIA

REFERENCES AND NOTES

1. N. Salam, W. M. Al-Shaqha, A. Azzi, PLOS Negl. Trop. Dis. 8, e3208 (2014). 2. S. Cousins, Lancet 385, 931 (2015). 3. P. J. Hotez, L. Savioli, A. Fenwick, PLOS Negl. Trop. Dis. 6, e1475 (2012). 4. M. Gwida et al., Croat. Med. J. 51, 289 (2010). 5. UNICEF, Humanitarian Action for Children, Syrian Refugees (www.unicef.org/appeals/syrianrefugees. html).

TECHNICAL COMMENT ABSTRACTS Comment on “Local reorganization of xanthophores fine-tunes and colors the striped pattern of zebrafish” Masakatsu Watanabe and Shigeru Kondo

Mahalwar et al. (Reports, 12 September 2014, p. 1362) observed the onset of pigment pattern formation in zebrafish. They concluded that their data do not support our Turing mechanism–based model and presented an essentially different mechanism. Here, we clarify their misunderstanding that may have caused their conclusion and explain past experimental data that do not

SCIENCE sciencemag.org

history to do so. Through observation and experiments, they follow the crucial steps that lead to scientific breakthroughs and learn the scientific method firsthand. But something else happens in the meantime: They become very close friends, breaking down social barriers and establishing relationships that persist through time and distance. Science not only allows us to see and comprehend the world; it’s also a bridge between people coming from different backgrounds who share the same curiosity and passion to understand the beautiful world that surrounds us. Luciano Gastón Morosi Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (IBYME-CONICET), C1428ADN Buenos Aires, Argentina. E-mail: [email protected] REFERENCE

1. www.expedicionciencia.org.ar

support their proposed mechanism. Full text at http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/ science.1261947 Response to Comment on “Local reorganization of xanthophores finetunes and colors the striped pattern of zebrafish” Ajeet Pratap Singh, Hans-Georg Frohnhöfer, Uwe Irion, Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard

Watanabe and Kondo question our conclusion that the current Turing-type model of color patterning in zebrafish requires modification. In addition to xanthophores and melanophores, iridophores are essential for stripe formation in the body, although not in the fins. A model of predictive value should accommodate the in vivo dynamics and interactions of all three chromatophore types in body stripe formation. Full text at http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/ science.aaa2804 10 APRIL 2015 • VOL 348 ISSUE 6231

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