Improving access to DNA sequences could also increase the risk of its misuse.
Biologists who have been obtaining DNA sequences online from companies will soon have a more convenient option: benchtop machines that can print all the DNA they need. But this technology brings with it new risks by circumventing how synthetic biology companies now screen for would-be bioterrorists. Aby a Washington, D.C., think tank urges companies and governments to revamp existing screening to prevent someone with malign motives from making a toxin or pathogen.
This arrangement has long raised concerns that malign actors could synthesize the DNA to make a powerful toxin or even a pathogen capable of triggering another global pandemic. In 2010, the U.S. government released voluntary guidelines for DNA synthesis companies, recommending that they vet customers and screen ordered sequences against known dangers.
“There is a greater potential for misuse and pathogen engineering,” says Sarah Carter, head of Science Policy Consulting LLC and a co-author.
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