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Biodefense in the Age of Synthetic Biology (2018) / Chapter Skim
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Appendix C: Questions to Stimulate Consideration of Framework Factors
Pages 163-166

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From page 163...
... • Are genomic design tools and relevant "parts" databases available to help achieve desired goals? • How reliable is the available genomic sequence information?
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From page 164...
... • Would significant improvements in Build capabilities (e.g., capacity for increased construct length or reduced cost of synthesis) be accompanied by corresponding improvements in capabilities for Design and Testing relevant to the intended application, or would those aspects remain as barriers?
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From page 165...
... How reproducibly can a particular result be obtained? • Are there known engineering strategies or preexisting research outlining methods to predictably produce the desired result?
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From page 166...
... • Can mining social media in real time provide indications of when and where an attack or outbreak based on this capability might take place, compared to traditional public health surveillance mechanisms? Potential for Mitigation -- Attribution Capabilities • How feasible would it be to use DNA sequencing to compare samples of the agent with samples from recovered evidence?
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Key Terms

  • biotechnology advances
  • surveillance mechanisms
  • design tools
  • mitigation approaches
  • equipment required

  • disease surveillance
  • evades typical
  • market adoption
  • technology involved
  • genomic design

  • equipment costs
  • technology becoming
  • hinder wider
  • widely distributed
  • available disease

  • wider market
  • reagent kits
  • agent highly
  • specialized training
  • total processing

  • spread beyond
  • improve ease
  • initial attack
  • typical identification
  • training required

  • becoming available
  • aspects remain
  • build capabilities
  • process easier
  • increased construct


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