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Improved understanding of biorisk for research involving microbial modification using annotated sequences of concern
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 pathogens through inexpensive genome sequencing, 5 decades of research in microbial pathogenesis, and the burgeoning capacit...
Autores principales: | , , , , , , , , |
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Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
Publicado: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2023
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Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10167326/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37180048 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2023.1124100 |
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author | Godbold, Gene D. Hewitt, F. Curtis Kappell, Anthony D. Scholz, Matthew B. Agar, Stacy L. Treangen, Todd J. Ternus, Krista L. Sandbrink, Jonas B. Koblentz, Gregory D. |
author_facet | Godbold, Gene D. Hewitt, F. Curtis Kappell, Anthony D. Scholz, Matthew B. Agar, Stacy L. Treangen, Todd J. Ternus, Krista L. Sandbrink, Jonas B. Koblentz, Gregory D. |
author_sort | Godbold, Gene D. |
collection | PubMed |
description | 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 pathogens through inexpensive genome sequencing, 5 decades of research in microbial pathogenesis, and the burgeoning capacity of synthetic biologists, the limitations of this approach are apparent. With heightened scientific and public attention focused on biosafety and biosecurity, and an ongoing review by US authorities of dual-use research oversight, this article proposes the incorporation of sequences of concern (SoCs) into the biorisk management regime governing genetic engineering of pathogens. SoCs enable pathogenesis in all microbes infecting hosts that are ‘of concern’ to human civilization. Here we review the functions of SoCs (FunSoCs) and discuss how they might bring clarity to potentially problematic research outcomes involving infectious agents. We believe that annotation of SoCs with FunSoCs has the potential to improve the likelihood that dual use research of concern is recognized by both scientists and regulators before it occurs. |
format | Online Article Text |
id | pubmed-10167326 |
institution | National Center for Biotechnology Information |
language | English |
publishDate | 2023 |
publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
record_format | MEDLINE/PubMed |
spelling | pubmed-101673262023-05-10 Improved understanding of biorisk for research involving microbial modification using annotated sequences of concern Godbold, Gene D. Hewitt, F. Curtis Kappell, Anthony D. Scholz, Matthew B. Agar, Stacy L. Treangen, Todd J. Ternus, Krista L. Sandbrink, Jonas B. Koblentz, Gregory D. Front Bioeng Biotechnol Bioengineering and Biotechnology 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 pathogens through inexpensive genome sequencing, 5 decades of research in microbial pathogenesis, and the burgeoning capacity of synthetic biologists, the limitations of this approach are apparent. With heightened scientific and public attention focused on biosafety and biosecurity, and an ongoing review by US authorities of dual-use research oversight, this article proposes the incorporation of sequences of concern (SoCs) into the biorisk management regime governing genetic engineering of pathogens. SoCs enable pathogenesis in all microbes infecting hosts that are ‘of concern’ to human civilization. Here we review the functions of SoCs (FunSoCs) and discuss how they might bring clarity to potentially problematic research outcomes involving infectious agents. We believe that annotation of SoCs with FunSoCs has the potential to improve the likelihood that dual use research of concern is recognized by both scientists and regulators before it occurs. Frontiers Media S.A. 2023-04-25 /pmc/articles/PMC10167326/ /pubmed/37180048 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2023.1124100 Text en Copyright © 2023 Godbold, Hewitt, Kappell, Scholz, Agar, Treangen, Ternus, Sandbrink and Koblentz. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. |
spellingShingle | Bioengineering and Biotechnology Godbold, Gene D. Hewitt, F. Curtis Kappell, Anthony D. Scholz, Matthew B. Agar, Stacy L. Treangen, Todd J. Ternus, Krista L. Sandbrink, Jonas B. Koblentz, Gregory D. Improved understanding of biorisk for research involving microbial modification using annotated sequences of concern |
title | Improved understanding of biorisk for research involving microbial modification using annotated sequences of concern |
title_full | Improved understanding of biorisk for research involving microbial modification using annotated sequences of concern |
title_fullStr | Improved understanding of biorisk for research involving microbial modification using annotated sequences of concern |
title_full_unstemmed | Improved understanding of biorisk for research involving microbial modification using annotated sequences of concern |
title_short | Improved understanding of biorisk for research involving microbial modification using annotated sequences of concern |
title_sort | improved understanding of biorisk for research involving microbial modification using annotated sequences of concern |
topic | Bioengineering and Biotechnology |
url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10167326/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37180048 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2023.1124100 |
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