What is the BioHack Revolution?
BioHacking is a new movement in applied biotechnology, which is distinct from the centralised power of big business and academia. BioFoundry is staffed by “biohackers” who promote an open-source science philosophy which shares a number of similarities to the computing revolution instigated by the change from mainframes to personal computing (i.e. lowered barriers to entry, freer access to information, and a constant drive to be better, faster and smaller.) Institutions such as BioFoundry are a natural consequence of the open source movement; they are a market response to consumer demand for safe and affordable bio-science experimentation.
Is it Unsafe or Illegal?
Paramount to understanding open source science is the realisation that it is not a deviation from modern channels of safety, regulation and intellectual property. Rather it is an appropriate response to the acceleration of general public access to scientific methodology, information and resources. Our supervisors and volunteers alike have a healthy respect for the value of institutions such as the FDA, EMA and OGTR, and we often host information evenings and debates to discuss the impact of legislative changes and decisions on our work. The BioFoundry lab has been granted PC1 approval, a responsibility that is not taken lightly – especially considering our ambitions to achieve PC2 sometime this year. We believe that open source science is a natural and healthy consequence of an emerging post-capitalist society rather than a threat to the integrity of the scientific method.