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4 Biosecurity Innovation and Risk Reduction: A Global Framework for Accessible, Safe and Secure DNA Synthesis
Foreword
As a scientist and former government official with responsibility for the United
States’ nuclear stockpile, I am acutely aware of both the promise and peril of
technological advances. That’s why, after leaving government service in January
2017 and joining the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) to focus on nuclear and
biological dangers, one of the first areas I prioritized was the intersection of
technology and the risks posed by weapons of mass destruction.
When it comes to rapid advances in biotechnology, there is a double-edged
sword. New innovations hold the promise of a future that is more resilient to
disease, food insecurity and environmental instability, and there is no doubt
that advances in genomics, synthetic biology and microbiology will continue to
prove essential for a safer, healthier and more secure future for all. At the same
time, advances in technology, including cheaper DNA synthesis and widespread
access to gene editing tools, have made it possible for a broader array of actors
to manipulate biological agents and systems. Together, the innovations and
access portend an increase in the risk of a potentially catastrophic biological
event, whether deliberate or accidental.
It is vital that leaders – technical and policy – understand these risks and have the
tools to mitigate them. Unfortunately, we are behind on this front. Today, there
is no expert organization or body to provide recommendations and guidance
on reducing the biological risks associated with these and future technology
advances. With this need in mind, NTI convened the Biosecurity Innovation and
Risk Reduction Initiative to bring together global technical experts, international
organizations, companies, investors, researchers and their institutions, funders,
publishers and insurers to catalyse the adoption of new approaches to reduce
biological risks associated with advances in technology.
We view DNA synthesis screening as one effective tool to reduce the risk that life
science technologies could be deliberately misused to carry out biological attacks
or could accidentally result in a high-consequence or catastrophic biological
event. Unfortunately, no governments currently require screening for DNA
synthesis, and developing, implementing and maintaining screening procedures
are becoming increasingly expensive relative to other business costs. This
creates an economic disincentive for companies to do the right thing. Potentially
compounding the problem is that benchtop DNA synthesis is now within reach,
posing significant additional challenges that the international scientific community
and global decision-makers have yet to fully imagine.
It is time for the commercial sector to standardize the uneven patchwork of
security and safety practices across facilities, countries and regions, but the
screening mechanism described in this report is only a start. A larger system
of common global life science norms must be established in parallel and will
require oversight from a globally recognized normative entity. NTI and the World
Economic Forum are dedicated to convening senior leaders from governments,
companies and international organizations to plan its creation.
Collectively, we can realize the promise of biotechnology while simultaneously
reducing and, wherever possible, eliminating associated catastrophic risks. The
time is now.
Ernest J. Moniz
Chief Executive Officer
Nuclear Threat Initiative
(NTI), USA