How would you use SynBio to non-invasively measure levels of many RNAs from many cells at once?

I would probably design a virus-like organism, which would reproduce (and then exit the cell) in a controlled-way, as an information signal for the levels of the RNA in those cells. That would allow (under lab conditions) to indirectly observe the levels of these RNAs.

Alternatively, a virus again could express a particular protein on the cell-membrane of these cells, the presence of which would be regulated by the count of these RNAs. I’m not entirely keen on this approach though, as the synthetic protein on the cell-membrane would compete with the cell-membrane proteins native to the cell for space, which would end up affecting the cell in the case where the RNAs we want to observe exist in high counts.

What aspects of electronic circuits (e.g. sensors, analysis, actuators, etc) are most obviously missing from synbio and how would you extend SynBio to handle these?

I believe a ***fuse-***like component, which for example terminates a cell (for example, inducing a state of accelerated apoptosis) or a inhibits a metabolic pathway reliably if certain molecules are detected or exceed a maximum-allowable concentration level would definitely work to make certain experiments a lot safer, as well as increase bio-safety in all living organisms.

Scenarios in which public use of synbio might be ethically acceptable, economically desirable and even mandatory?

There are at least 3 different scenarios in which public use of synbio is going to be not only acceptable (on an ethical level) but also desirable and mandatory from a financial standpoint:

• Increasing foodstuffs quality. That includes both meat and fish, as well as crops. In all of these areas, synbio is going to help with enhancing yields, improving nutrient quality and taste, as well as improving population counts by virtue of synthetic substitutes.
• Mitigating environmental damage/climate change. It is without doubt that as environmental degradation progresses, we are going to need synthetic organisms that catalyse reactions aimed at reversing climate change. Indeed, it is inconceivable that we even as much as put a dent in problems such as global warming without them.
• (Novel) Pathogen resistance. Pandemics have always been an issue for mankind, but better connections to basically everywhere mean that pandemics have accelerated growth, which allows fewer affordances to people working to put an end to them, or to people exposed to these pathogens because of their line of work. Synthetic organisms could prove to be a backbone of both enhanced immune systems in humans, as well as fighting to keep populations of pathogens low in various natural environments.