DIYbio

Overview | Concept | DIYbio | Workshops | Exhibition | Evaluation | Conclusion

What is DIYbio?

DIYbio or "Biohacking" essentially describes citizen science in biology, usually molecular biology. Biohacking often happens as an activity in an established Hackerspace, at home, or in dedicated DIYbio spaces such as Biocurious or Genspace. DIYbio.org and the Google DIYbio Group are the online focal points of the international scene. For a more in-depth look at DIYbio, we recommend the NTU-Singapore 2009 iGEM team's DIYbio exposé.

DIYbio, iGEM and the Registry of Parts

As we started working on the "Public BioBrick" we became increasingly interested in the relationship between DIYbio and the Registry of Parts. Currently, only licensed academic labs that host an iGEM team have access to the Registry. We define "access" as the ability to get and contribute physical DNA and add experience data.

In 2009, iGEM briefly allowed DIYbio groups to register for the competition, but this was quickly stopped after two months. Meagan Lizaro explained to us that this was due to safety concerns with non-regulated groups and because it was explicitly forbidden by MIT.

London Biohackers

Manchester MadLab

Paris La Paillasse