Chunyang Zhan

Hainan Institute of Biotechnology, Haikou, 570206, Hainan, China
Author    Correspondence author
GMO Biosafety Research, 2024, Vol. 15, No. 2   
Received: 24 Feb., 2024    Accepted: 11 Apr., 2024    Published: 18 Dec., 2024

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Synthetic biology represents a revolutionary field at the intersection of biology, engineering, and computer science, with profound implications for biotechnology, medicine, and agriculture. As the field rapidly advances, intellectual property (IP) protection becomes increasingly crucial for fostering innovation and ensuring the continued growth of synthetic biology. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the current IP framework governing synthetic biology, highlighting the challenges associated with patenting living organisms and the ethical considerations surrounding these innovations. Through an exploration of case studies, particularly the CRISPR-Cas9 technology, this study examines the balance between IP rights and the open science movement, offering insights into global IP strategies and emerging trends. This study concludes with policy recommendations aimed at enhancing IP protection while promoting collaboration and transparency within the field. This study underscores the need for adaptive and harmonized IP frameworks to support the sustainable development of synthetic biology.

Synthetic biology; Intellectual property; CRISPR-Cas9; Open science; Bioeconomy