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Reply to Preventing the misuse of gene synthesis

Nature Biotechnology volume 27, page 801 (2009)Cite this article

Chyba and Nouri reply:

Concerns about the possible misuse of gene synthesis in particular and biotech more generally are not “science fiction fantasies,” but rather a legitimate cause for concern. Attempts to address these concerns must be carefully balanced against the extremely important benefits that flow from these technologies, as we emphasize in the first paragraph of our Commentary1. The seriousness of the possible misuse of these technologies has been addressed by two National Academy of Sciences committees2,3, and in a workshop held by the Royal Society and the International Council for the Life Sciences4. (For full disclosure, one of us was a member of one of these Academy committees and a participant in the Royal Society workshop that led to the new report.)

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References

  1. Nouri, A. & Chyba, C.F. Nat. Biotechnol. 27, 234–236 (2009).

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  2. National Research Council. Biotechnology Research in an Age of Terrorism: Confronting the 'Dual Use' Dilemma (National Academies Press, Washington, DC, 2003).

  3. Committee on Advances in Technology and the Prevention of their Application to Next Generation Biowarfare Threats. Globalization, Biosecurity, and the Future of the Life Sciences (National Academies Press, Washington, DC, 2006).

  4. Science Policy Centre. New Approaches to Biological Risk Assessment (The Royal Society, London, 2009).

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Reply to Preventing the misuse of gene synthesis. Nat Biotechnol 27, 801 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0909-801a

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