Today, a panel of doctors, researchers and ethicists appointed by President Obama will recommend guidelines for the study of synthetic biology. The field, still in its infancy, carries many unknowns, but promises advances in medicine, agriculture and industrial chemistry.

“It’s an emerging technology where researchers change the chemistry inside cells, bacteria or fungi to produce vaccines, bio-fuel and even microorganisms that can break down oil spills,” said David Lynn, a chemistry professor at Emory University in Atlanta.

The commission, which is meeting at Emory, is examining both the benefits and potential risks of synthetic biology. One concern is how synthetic organisms might behave outside of a laboratory setting.

“Synthetic biology is a brand new field,” said Emory University Ethicist Paul Root Wolpe. “The organisms that have been created so far, we can barely keep alive in the laboratory, never mind worry about them being alive somewhere else. So, at this point in time, there’s very little risk.”

Although the risk may be low now, Wolpe and other experts said that makes the timing ideal for establishing guidelines for the study of synthetic biology moving forward.

“We can protect the public, if our advice is taken, before new organisms are created,” Commission Chairwoman Amy Gutmann said. “That allows us to maximize the public benefit and minimizes the public risk proactively.”

Among the members of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues is Lonnie Ali, whose husband, boxing legend Muhammad Ali, suffers from Parkinson’s disease.

In an interview published in the presidential commission’s official blog, Mrs. Ali discusses the potential applications of synthetic biology:

“It has a lot of opportunity for public good. It could create advances for Parkinson’s disease. Somewhere in the science they might find something to improve the quality of life for people with Parkinson’s disease or other kinds of diseases. Anything that alleviates human suffering is great. You don’t know what can happen next. There are so many opportunities here for this technology — advances that we can’t imagine sitting here today.”