Technologies to profoundly engineer biology are becoming increasingly affordable,
powerful, and accessible to a widening group of actors. While offering tremendous potential …

Taxonomic lists—that is, lists that give a set of species (eg, Yersinia pestis) or broader
taxonomic groups (eg, SARS-related coronavirus) to be regulated—are a common tool used …

The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the importance of accurate detection of known
and emerging pathogens. However, robust characterization of pathogenic sequences …

Regulation of research on microbes that cause disease in humans has historically been
focused on taxonomic lists of 'bad bugs'. However, given our increased knowledge of these …

In late 2021, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) posted an interim
final rule (86 FR 64075) to the federal register regulating the possession, use, and transfer of …

To better understand the potential relationship between COVID-19 disease and
hologenome microbial community dynamics and functional profiles, we conducted a …

Introduction: Recent regulations from United States Government agencies reshape the
screening of synthetic nucleic acids. These take a step away from categorizing hazard on …

Introduction: Affordable and accurate nucleic acid synthesis is foundational to modern
biotechnology, but raises security concerns because it facilitates the construction of …

Introduction: Nucleic acid synthesis is a powerful tool that has revolutionized the life
sciences. However, the misuse of synthetic nucleic acids could pose a serious threat to …

Bioengineering applies analytical and engineering principles to identify functional biological
building blocks for biotechnology applications. While these building blocks are leveraged to …