BiosafetyU.S. DNA suppliers warned against bioterrorism threat

U.S. businesses that trade in DNA have been warned to stay on guard against abuses leading to bioterrorism. The Department of Health and Human Services issued guidelines for the trade in customized DNA sequencing that, if abused, can lead to bioterrorism, with unforeseeable consequences

DNA sequencing refers to methods used by scientists to determine the order of the nucleotide bases in a DNA molecule. Manipulation of the DNA sequences is usually fraught with risks and can be the stuff of nightmare scenarios, with large population clusters exposed to bioterrorist attack.

The correct sequence of nucleotide bases — adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine — in a molecule of DNA is critical to the safety of the trade, which is part of research requirements by the scientific community.

UPI reports that in recent months, analysts have expressed concern that DNA sequences can be abused to terrorize and harm entire populations without so much as a bang. DNA sequencing is now critical to biological research but is also useful to other research branches that use DNA sequencing. DNA sequencing is now widely applied in numerous fields such as diagnostic, biotechnology or forensic biology.

The advent of DNA sequencing has significantly accelerated biological research and discovery. The rapid speed of sequencing attained with modern technology has been instrumental in the sequencing of the human genome in the Human Genome Project.

More recent research has enabled scientists to discover and generate the complete DNA sequences of animal, plant and microbial genomes. The DNA sequencing process has come a long way since the 1970s, when scientists had access to two-dimensional chromatography. More recently, dye-based sequencing with automated analysis has been the norm and made the task easier — and therefore more accessible to a wider and not always benign usage.

As sequencing methods have evolved, so have the uses to which DNA manipulation can be put. Some security experts believe that a terrorist group or lone terrorist can now develop biological weapons from materials generally distributed by synthetic DNA companies.

Analysts said synthetic DNA manufacturers desperate for business sometimes could not be diligent enough and allow their merchandise to fall into suspect hands. Analysts warned manufacturers to beware of customers wanting the same product over and over, insisting on paying cash or encouraging suppliers to mislabel the supplies. It was not immediately clear if any customers had been caught doing any of those things.

Media reports this month said the Obama administration had taken measures to develop new safeguards against pandemics, bioterrorism and other health threats. Finding safeguards against bioterrorism, however, is proving to be an uphill task because of difficulties in implementing programs. Oklahoma State University administrators recently stopped a program testing anthrax vaccines on baboons because the animals needed to be euthanized to rule out infection. The bioterrorism research was to be carried out in a multimillion-dollar laboratory but was stopped at the insistence of University president Burns Hargis. A spokesman said the laboratory tests leading to the killing of baboons in order to obtain the needed scientific data was “not in the best interest of the university.”

The baboons were chosen because they are biologically similar to humans. Analysts said that safeguards against bioterrorism are still very limited.