National Academies Press: OpenBook
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Directed Evolution for Development and Production of Bioactive Agents: A Meeting Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18354.
×

Directed Evolution for Development and
Production of Bioactive Agents

A Meeting Summary

Daniel Talmage and Dionna Ali
Rapporteurs

Committee on Science and Technology for Defense Warning

Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS

Washington, D.C.

www.nap.edu

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Directed Evolution for Development and Production of Bioactive Agents: A Meeting Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18354.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS    500 FIFTH STREET, NW    Washington, DC 20001

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

This study was supported by Contract HHM402-10-D-0036 between the Defense Intelligence Agency and the National Academy of Sciences. Any views or observations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-28626-8
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-28626-3

Limited copies of this report are available from the Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences, National Research Council, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001; (202) 334-2400.

Copyright 2013 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Directed Evolution for Development and Production of Bioactive Agents: A Meeting Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18354.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering and Medicine

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council

www.national-academies.org

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Directed Evolution for Development and Production of Bioactive Agents: A Meeting Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18354.
×

This page is blank

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Directed Evolution for Development and Production of Bioactive Agents: A Meeting Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18354.
×

COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR DEFENSE WARNING

BRENDAN B. GODFREY, Chair, University of Maryland

THOMAS E. ROMESSER, Vice Chair, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems (retired)

ILHAN A. AKSAY, Princeton University

ANN N. CAMPBELL, Sandia National Laboratories

JOHN F. CASHEN, Aerospace and Defense Consultant

EDWARD M. GREITZER, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

ELLIOTT D. KIEFF, Harvard University

FRANCIS R. LANDOLF, Core Consulting,

LLC PATRICK LINCOLN, SRI International

DARRELL D.E. LONG, University of California, Santa Cruz

DAVID F. McQUEENEY, IBM Research

RANDOLPH L. MOSES, Ohio State University

MONICA OLVERA DE LA CRUZ, Northwestern University

MIKHAIL SHAPIRO, University of California, Berkeley

ELIAS TOWE, Carnegie Mellon University

Staff

TERRY JAGGERS, Lead DEPS Board Director

DANIEL E.J. TALMAGE, JR., Study Director

DIONNA ALI, Senior Program Assistant

CHRIS JONES, Financial Associate

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Directed Evolution for Development and Production of Bioactive Agents: A Meeting Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18354.
×

Acknowledgment of Reviewers

This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s (NRC’s) Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:

Brendan B. Godfrey, University of Maryland,

Diane E. Griffin (NAS/IOM), Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health,

J. Jerome Holton, The Tauri Group, and

Mikhail G. Shapiro, University of California at Berkeley.

Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the views of individual participants, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Gerald F. Joyce (NAS), The Scripps Research Institute. Appointed by the NRC, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authors and the institution.

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Directed Evolution for Development and Production of Bioactive Agents: A Meeting Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18354.
×

This page is blank

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Directed Evolution for Development and Production of Bioactive Agents: A Meeting Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18354.
×
Page R1
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Directed Evolution for Development and Production of Bioactive Agents: A Meeting Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18354.
×
Page R2
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Directed Evolution for Development and Production of Bioactive Agents: A Meeting Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18354.
×
Page R3
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Directed Evolution for Development and Production of Bioactive Agents: A Meeting Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18354.
×
Page R4
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Directed Evolution for Development and Production of Bioactive Agents: A Meeting Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18354.
×
Page R5
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Directed Evolution for Development and Production of Bioactive Agents: A Meeting Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18354.
×
Page R6
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Directed Evolution for Development and Production of Bioactive Agents: A Meeting Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18354.
×
Page R7
Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Directed Evolution for Development and Production of Bioactive Agents: A Meeting Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18354.
×
Page R8
Next: 1 Meeting Summary »
Directed Evolution for Development and Production of Bioactive Agents: A Meeting Summary Get This Book
×
Buy Ebook | $18.99
MyNAP members save 10% online.
Login or Register to save!
Download Free PDF

In 2012, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) approached the National Research Council and asked that a committee be formed to develop a list of workshop topics to explore the impact of emerging science and technology. One topic that came out of that list was directed evolution for development and production of bioactive agents. This workshop was held on February 21-22, 2013.

Directed Evolution for Development and Production of Bioactive Agents explains the objectives of the workshop, which were to explore the potential use of directed evolution1 for military science and technology. Understanding the current research in this area, and the potential opportunities for U.S. adversaries to use this research, might allow the DIA to advise U.S. policy makers in an appropriate and timely manner. The workshop featured invited presentations and discussions that aimed to:

-Inform the U.S. intelligence community of the current status of directed evolution technology and related research, and

-Discuss possible approaches involving directed evolution that might be used by an adversary to develop toxic biological agents that could pose a threat to the United States or its allies, and how they could be identified.

Members of the Committee on Science and Technology for Defense Warning planned the agenda for the workshop, selected the presenters, and helped moderate discussions in which meeting participants probed issues of national security related to directed evolution in an effort to gain an understanding of potential vulnerabilities. Experts were invited from the areas of directed evolution, biosynthesis, detection, and biological agents.

  1. ×

    Welcome to OpenBook!

    You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

    Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

    No Thanks Take a Tour »
  2. ×

    Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name.

    « Back Next »
  3. ×

    ...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

    « Back Next »
  4. ×

    Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

    « Back Next »
  5. ×

    Switch between the Original Pages, where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text.

    « Back Next »
  6. ×

    To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter.

    « Back Next »
  7. ×

    Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

    « Back Next »
  8. ×

    View our suggested citation for this chapter.

    « Back Next »
  9. ×

    Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

    « Back Next »
Stay Connected!