Synthetic Nucleic Acid Technology: The Biosecurity Landscape

Advances in the speed, scale, and affordability of nucleic acid synthesis over the last two decades have catalyzed a rapidly evolving landscape in biotechnology. With these innovations, it is now possible to deploy synthetic biology techniques in a much wider range of contexts than ever before. From the development of next-generation diagnostics, data storage, and environmental sensors, to revolutionary progress in the design of macromolecules, genomes, and microbes, we are undeniably living through a transformative age of science. However, the power of these technologies presents grand challenges to ensuring security of the earth’s environmental systems and human health infrastructures. As with most rapidly developing technologies, it has been difficult for governance and oversight to keep up with the pace of change. In addition, the public has developed strong interest in the societal and ethical repercussions of emergent biotechnologies because of recent achievements and crises in genomics, public health, climate, and more. Collectively, the stakes are high to employ synthetic nucleic acid technology safely and effectively, the achievement of which will necessitate global interdisciplinary effort. The obstacles are great, but so are the opportunities.

This Research Topic will highlight biosecurity approaches and challenges in this burgeoning age of synthetic nucleic acid technology. Because of the powerful barrier-lowering capabilities of this technology, biosecurity of the future will rely on the integration of technical, policy, and social perspectives. To this end, the Research Topic will juxtapose themes such as leading-edge technological innovation and next-generation governance approaches. Further, the collection will explore aspects of technology democratization, ethics, liability, attribution, and more, as an exposition of the discipline-spanning solutions necessary to bolster biosecurity.

We welcome submissions addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

The impact of recent governance efforts (US, UK, etc.) on the synthetic nucleic acid biosecurity landscape

• Status of ongoing governance implementation efforts/challenges for synthetic nucleic acid technology
• Approaches and considerations for screening nucleic acid orders and customers for biosecurity concerns
• Ground rules for implementation of synthetic nucleic acid technology in contexts that have significant social, ecological, or health implications
• Technical, policy, and ethical considerations for synthesis of sequences from uncharacterized/novel pathogens
• Technical, policy, and ethical considerations for implementation of synthetic nucleic acid technology toward resurrection of extinct organisms, heritable genetic manipulation of extant organisms, and design of novel organisms
• International democratization of synthetic nucleic acid technology - need, methods, hurdles
• Import, export, licensing, attribution, liability, etc. considerations for synthetic nucleic acids, at any stakeholder level (individuals, universities, companies, governments)

Researchers from a wide variety of disciplines will have valuable insight into these themes, such as those in fields of biotechnology, biomedical engineering, environmental sciences, ethics, governance and policy, infectious disease, law, public health, and social sciences. We invite those from these fields and beyond to contribute in the following Frontiers formats: original research articles, opinions, perspectives, policy briefs, policy and practice reviews, reviews, and systematic reviews.

Topic Editor, Adam Clore is employed by Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT), which has financial interests as a provider of nucleic acids to many research organizations. Topic Editor Adam Clore also has worked to co-develop and now license the FAST-NA biosecurity screening software from RTX (formerly Raytheon Technologies). All other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regards to the Research Topic subject.