The Glowing Plant project was the first crowdfunding campaign for a

synthetic biology Synthetic biology (SynBio) is a multidisciplinary area of research that seeks to create new biological parts, devices, and systems, or to redesign systems that are already found in nature. It is a branch of science that encompasses a broad ran ...

application. The project was started by the Sunnyvale-based

hackerspace A hackerspace (also referred to as a hacklab, hackspace, or makerspace) is a community-operated, often "not for profit" ( 501(c)(3) in the United States), workspace where people with common interests, such as computers, machining, technology, ...

Biocurious as part of the DIYbio philosophy. According to the project's goals, funds were used to create a glowing '' Arabidopsis thaliana'' plant using firefly

luminescence Luminescence is spontaneous emission of light by a substance not resulting from heat; or "cold light". It is thus a form of cold-body radiation. It can be caused by chemical reactions, electrical energy, subatomic motions or stress on a crys ...

genes. Long-term ambitions (never realized) included the development of glowing trees that can be used to replace street lights, reducing CO₂ emissions by not requiring electricity.

Project funding

Using Kickstarter, the project's founders raised $484,000 on June 8, 2013. This was significantly more than the initial target of $65,000. Seeds were initially scheduled to be delivered in April 2014. In March 2016, delivery of seeds was forecast for 2016 on the Glowing Plant website. The company encountered difficulty in producing plants that emit significant amounts of light, resulting in a transition to producing moss that emits a patchouli scent. They later announced via email December 2017 that the company was permanently ceasing operations.

Methods

Biocurious planned to tweak the

biobrick BioBrick parts are DNA sequences which conform to a restriction-enzyme assembly standard. These building blocks are used to design and assemble larger synthetic biological circuits from individual parts and combinations of parts with defined funct ...

containing six genes, including luciferin-regenerating enzyme and luciferase from

fireflies The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...

. During initial development, they would use ''

Agrobacterium ''Agrobacterium'' is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria established by H. J. Conn that uses horizontal gene transfer to cause tumors in plants. '' Agrobacterium tumefaciens'' is the most commonly studied species in this genus. ''Agrobacterium'' i ...

'' to test the transfer of the genetic circuit''.'' When producing the final product, they intended to instead use a

gene gun In genetic engineering, a gene gun or biolistic particle delivery system is a device used to deliver exogenous DNA (transgenes), RNA, or protein to cells. By coating particles of a heavy metal with a gene of interest and firing these micro-proje ...

to avoid issues related to regulation of GM plants. Over the course of the project, several plants were mentioned as being recipients, including '' Arabidopsis thaliana,

Nicotiana tabacum ''Nicotiana tabacum'', or cultivated tobacco, is an Annual plant, annually grown herbaceous plant of the ''Nicotiana'' genus. The plant is tropical in origin, is commonly grown throughout the world, and is often found in Cultivation of tobacco, ...

'', and

rose A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...

s. Issues surrounding the production included the difficulty of moving the six component genes of the

metabolic pathway In biochemistry, a metabolic pathway is a linked series of chemical reactions occurring within a cell. The reactants, products, and intermediates of an enzymatic reaction are known as metabolites, which are modified by a sequence of chemical reac ...

, increasing the dim light produced by the plant following insertion, and preventing the pathway from being silenced.

Controversy

The project generated widespread media attention and a discussion of appropriate uses of biotechnology. As a result of the controversy, Kickstarter decided to prohibit

genetically modified organisms A genetically modified organism (GMO) is any organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. The exact definition of a genetically modified organism and what constitutes genetic engineering varies, with ...

as rewards to project backers. Though the

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) based in Riverdale, Maryland responsible for protecting animal health, animal welfare, and plant health. APHIS is the lead ...

(APHIS) has shown no regulatory concerns about the project, some synthetic biologists and policy researchers have questioned the project's feasibility and impact on future oversight or public opinion of synthetic biology. In particular, if the company were to encourage backers to use a genetic DIY kit themselves, additional regulatory oversight would likely occur.{{Cite book , last=Ikemoto , first=Lisa , title=DIY Bio: Hacking Life in Biotech’s Backyard , publisher=UC Davis School of Law , year=2017 , pages=558–559

References

External links

Glowing Plant project home page
Bioluminescence Kickstarter projects

Project funding

Methods

Controversy

See also

References

External links