Benchtop DNA printers are coming soon—and biosecurity experts are worried

Biologists who have been obtaining DNA sequences online from companies will soon have a more convenient option: benchtop machines that can print all the DNA they need. But this technology brings with it new risks by circumventing how synthetic biology companies now screen for would-be bioterrorists. A report released yesterday by a Washington, D.C., think tank urges companies and governments to revamp existing screening to prevent someone with malign motives from making a toxin or pathogen.

The current screening system, which is voluntary, “could be upended by benchtop DNA synthesis,” says report co-author Jaime Yassif, vice president for global biological policy and programs at the Nuclear Threat Initiative. “Governments, industry, and the broader scientific community need to put stronger safeguards in place to ensure this technology is not exploited by malicious actors and that it doesn’t lead to a catastrophic accident,” she says.

The ability to synthesize DNA has been around since the early 1980s. The technology has become a central component of genetic research and is used to develop novel pharmaceuticals, agricultural products, and biofuels. Synthetic DNA sequences are...