New report proposes framework to identify vulnerabilities posed by synthetic biology

WASHINGTON – Given the possible security vulnerabilities related to developments in synthetic biology – a field that uses technologies to modify or create organisms or biological components – a new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine proposes a framework to identify and prioritize potential areas of concern associated with the field. This report is the first in a two-phase study that is examining the changing nature of biodefense threats in the age of synthetic biology, focusing on the degree to which it can be used to create a weapon.

“While biotechnology is being pursued primarily for beneficial and legitimate purposes, there are potential uses that are detrimental to humans, other species, and ecosystems,” said Michael Imperiale, professor and associate chair of microbiology and immunology at the University of Michigan Medical School and chair of the committee that wrote the interim report.

The framework outlined in the report describes a variety of synthetic biology technologies and applications such as genome editing, directed evolution, and automated biological design, and provides a set of questions to guide the assessment of concerns associated with them. The framework also outlines factors under two broad categories – malicious use and mitigation – that the committee identified as important to include when determining the level of concern associated with a particular synthetic biology technology or application. In its final report, the committee will use this framework, revising as needed, as a tool to provide the U.S. Department of Defense with an assessment of the concerns presented by synthetic biology technologies and applications, as well as possibilities for mitigation.

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The study was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are private, nonprofit institutions that provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions related to science, technology, and medicine. They operate under an 1863 congressional charter to the National Academy of Sciences, signed by President Lincoln. For more information, visit http://national-academies.org. A roster follows.

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Copies of A Proposed Framework for Identifying Potential Biodefense Vulnerabilities Posed by Synthetic Biology are available at http://www.nap.edu or by calling 202-334-3313 or 1-800-624-6242. Reporters may obtain a copy from the Office of News and Public Information (contacts listed above).

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES, ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE

Division on Earth and Life Studies

Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology

Committee on Strategies for Identifying and Addressing Biodefense Vulnerabilities Posed by Synthetic Biology

Michael Imperiale (chair)

Arthur F. Thurnau Professor and Associate Chair of Microbiology and Immunology

Michigan Medical School

University of Michigan

Ann Arbor

Patrick Boyle

Head of Design

Ginkgo Bioworks

Boston

Peter A. Carr

Senior Scientist

Synthetic Biology Research Program

Lincoln Laboratory

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge

Douglas Densmore

Associate Professor

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and

Faculty Fellow

Hariri Institute for Computing and Computational Science and Engineering

Boston University

Boston

Diane DiEuliis

Senior Research Fellow

National Defense University

Washington, D.C.

Andrew Ellington

Fraser Professor of Biochemistry

University of Texas

Austin

Gigi Kwik Gronvall

Senior Associate

Center for Health Security, and

Visiting Faculty

Bloomberg School of Public Health

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore

Charles Haas

L.D. Betz Professor of Environmental Engineering and Head

Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering

Drexel University

Philadelphia

Joseph Kanabrocki

Associate Vice President for Research Safety and Professor of Microbiology

Biological Sciences Division

University of Chicago

Chicago

Kara Morgan

Research Leader

Battelle Memorial Institute

Columbus, Ohio

Kristala Jones Prather

Arthur D. Little Professor of Chemical Engineering

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge

Thomas Slezak

Associate Program Leader

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Livermore, Calif.

Jill Taylor

Faculty Member

Wadsworth School of Laboratory Sciences, and

Director

Wadsworth Center

New York State Department of Health

Albany

STAFF

Marilee Shelton-Davenport

Staff Officer