Biodefense in the Age of Synthetic Biology (2018) / Chapter Skim
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7 Related Developments That May Impact the Ability to Effect an Attack Using a Synthetic BiologyEnabled Weapon
7 Related Developments That May Impact the Ability to Effect an Attack Using a Synthetic BiologyEnabled Weapon
Pages 85-94
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From page 85... ...
For many of the potential malicious applications of synthetic biology that were considered, the level of concern raised by technological capabilities is tempered by constraints related to the need to produce the agent in volumes needed to achieve the desired scope of casualty, keep it stable until use, and deliver it to the population in a manner that yields the desired harm. Despite the impressive capabilities afforded by synthetic biology and other modern biotechnologies, these requirements, many of which are the same barriers to weaponization that have constrained the development of bioweapons in the past, are in many cases an important limiting factor in the context of synthetic biology–enabled weapons.
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From page 86... ...
It is also conceivable that malicious actors would forego some of the rigorous testing that other researchers would perform, since the standard of success -- creating an agent capable of doing "enough" harm -- is markedly different from the standards involved in publishing results in a scientific journal. Malicious actors may also be able and willing to test in human subjects, unhindered by the moral considerations and ethical frameworks that guide other research efforts.
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From page 87... ...
To that end, several examples were identified to explore technologies being pursued in fields and toward ends that are not directly related to synthetic biology, yet may converge with biotechnology in ways that help overcome some of the challenges related to creating weapons with synthetic biology. These include gene therapy, nanotechnology, automation, additive manufacturing, genomic data, and health informatics.
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From page 88... ...
Gene therapy vectors being researched include adenovirus, adeno-associated viruses, alphaviruses, herpesviruses, retrovirus/lentiviruses, and vaccinia virus (see Table 7-2) ; gene therapies using retroviruses, adeno-associated virus, and adenoviruses have already advanced to human clinical trials (Edelstein et al., 2007)
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From page 89... ...
Although the viral vectors used in gene therapies are heavily engineered to remove the genes that cause disease and these viruses are used under exacting conditions that guard against spread, viruses have a history of evolving around constraints, and it remains possible that a single-use gene therapy vector could become "lytic," leading to the spread of a disease. This is of limited concern for work involving many of the viruses in Table 7-2, which have often been heavily engineered to not propagate in the host.
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From page 90... ...
By facilitating testing of many agents at small scale and potentially low cost, these tools could provide malicious actors the capability to develop bioweapons by systematically incorporating multiple genetic variations to synthesize and screen multiple variants (a combinatorial approach) rather than a precise, knowledge-based approach.
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From page 91... ...
The use of genomic data, health metadata, and tailored bioinformatics will continue to advance in the realm of pharmaceutical research, and these advances could enable enhanced targeting capabilities for the development of bioweapons. The vast amount of healthcare data that are now available electronically and the multiple documented incursions into those data, including by foreign powers (Krebs on Security, 2013; Ponemon Institute, 2013; Filkins, 2014; Perakslis, 2014)
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From page 92... ...
While factors such as scale-up, stability, fidelity, and delivery are likely to continue to pose barriers to the weaponization of biological agents, a number of technological developments could create synergies with synthetic biology capabilities that allow malicious actors to overcome these barriers. In this chapter, five examples of convergent technologies at various stages of development (see Table 7-3)
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From page 93... ...
RELATED DEVELOPMENTS 93 TABLE 7-3 Summary of Relative Maturity of Selected Convergent Technologiesa In Use by In Use by In Use by Developers Synthetic Molecular In Use by of the Biology Biology Amateur Technology In Development Technology Community Community Biologists Gene therapy Nanotechnology Automation Additive manufacturing Health informatics aFor each column, darker shading indicates the technology is in routine use for that community, lighter shading indicates emerging use, and white background indicates little or no use. Adoption flows from left to right in most cases.
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