Importance of a Strong EU Biotech Act
The ability to synthesise DNA, RNA, and peptides has significantly advanced biotechnology, leading to improvements in medicine, agriculture, and manufacturing.
However, unverified access to certain synthesised nucleic acids poses a risk of deliberate or accidental misuse by malicious or careless actors, endangering human, animal, and plant health.
Knowing what is being ordered and by whom is essential for safeguarding biotechnology.
Industry experts, including James Diggans, vice-president for policy and biosecurity at Twist Bioscience, and Wladimir Labeikovsky, head of data operations and co-founder of Ribbon Bio, emphasize the need for strict regulatory requirements for nucleic acid synthesis screening to support the sector.
A strong EU Biotech Act is vital for Europe's synthetic biology industry, ensuring the safe and responsible development of biotechnology.
Author's summary: EU Biotech Act is crucial for synthetic biology safety.
- Experts stress the importance of regulatory requirements for nucleic acid synthesis screening.
- Unverified access to synthesised nucleic acids poses a risk to human, animal, and plant health.