Congress Targets Sales of Possibly Risky Synthetic DNA

Two U.S. senators this week introduced a bill that would create new rules around the sale of synthetic gene sequences that could be used to create bioweapons.

Synthetic genes are sequences of nucleic acids — the building blocks of biological life found in DNA — created in labs for use in medical research, gene therapies, and crop development, among other uses.

In recent years, scientists have started using artificial intelligence to discover or design new sequences, which can then be synthesized on machines that can fit on a workbench.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., this week introduced a bill that directs the U.S. Department of Commerce to require the labs that do gene synthesis work to screen their customers and orders to ensure that bad actors are not ordering dangerous sequences.

The bill would require the Commerce Department, with the help of other federal agencies, to compile a list of potentially dangerous genetic sequences.

"While access to genetic material allows scientists to study diseases, develop lifesaving medicine, and improve crops, without safety standards it could be misused, including to create bioweapons," Klobuchar, the No. 3 Democrat in the Senate, said in a statement.

The bill also takes the first steps toward pulling together current biosecurity regulations, which are scattered across the U.S. government, to streamline the regulations, keep pace with fast-moving technology companies, and address safety gaps.

"American innovations in biotechnology are too important to fall into the hands of bad actors or be hamstrung by outdated federal policies," Cotton, the No. 3 Republican in the Senate, said in a statement.

Gene synthesis has captured the attention of lawmakers before.

Last year, the House of Representatives Committee on China sent a letter to the directors of the FBI and national intelligence, renewing its concerns about GenScript Biotechnology's work with U.S. companies because of its ties to China.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers in both houses of the U.S. Congress also last year introduced a bill that would require U.S. firms to obtain an export license before sending gene sequence data to China.