A lot of lab researchers are mostly used to do research, too, which is very different in its mindset from actual medical applications, and my impression of actual medical workers is they have a lot of regulation so they don't put out pills that end up making your skin drop off. So you would need to approach it like a drug chemist views chemistry: Ignoring most of the field in favor of a very narrow path to synthesize the exact structure they want, along with knowledge of how to check for correctness and detect purity. So for biopunk, I ask you, what are the goals? I can always research Monsanto's patents and break the law by creating and releasing their mutants into the wild. Or produce vats of medicine to sell on the streets for cheap. Or study the right combination of drugs to create a safe, constant supply of uppers in a thug's body. Maybe even produce bacteria that can eat through the wall of a bank or infect a population for a ransom. Sorry if I haven't actually answered your question or even made any sense, writing in the morning stream of consciousness while my tea waits to cool. :)