While synthetic biology could be weaponized, similar technology could be used to mitigate those potential threats, concludes a report released Tuesday by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM).
In the report, NASEM identified the three most concerning potential biosynthetic weapons: recreating known pathogenic viruses; making existing bacteria more dangerous; and making harmful biochemicals via in situ synthesis.
The group recommended the U.S. Department of Defense implement new approaches to biological and chemical weapons defense. It said the DoD should work with the scientific community to move past current list-based strategies, like the Federal Select Agent and Program Select Agents and Toxins list, which the group argues are insufficient to manage synthetic biology risks. Additionally, the DoD and its partners should evaluate public health infrastructure and determine whether it needs to be strengthened to recognize a synthetic biology-enabled attack.
Finally, NASEM outlined areas requiring further research where technology could be used to mitigate risks. The group suggests developing capabilities to detect unusual ways in which a synthetic biology-enabled weapon may manifest; harnessing computational design and infrastructure to prevent, detect and control threats; and leveraging synthetic biology to advance detection, therapeutics, vaccines and other medical countermeasures.