Real Fids

There are not many reasons for optimism in biosecurity world, so I decided to consciously celebrate something that has gone better than my (relatively pessimistic) baseline expectations: progress on DNA synthesis screening.

• Last time I properly talked to SecureDNA (2+ years ago), they were very much at proof-of-concept stage. They now have a production-ready software platform with ±30 users, including benchtop manufacturers and large synthesis houses in China and Europe.
• I’ve also always assumed, without really thinking about it very much, that any motivated bad actor would have an easy time finding a way. It was pointed out to me that covering 80-90% providers might only leave very niche options on the table that may just not be fit for purpose. I have to talk about more people to form an opinion, but even questioning this unexamined prior makes me more optimistic.
• The EU has moved from voluntary industry guidelines to legally binding and enforcable rules. I wouldn’t have expected policy change this significant and fast.

On the other hand, I don’t get the impression that there’s been much progress towards screening beyond database-matching (e.g. using structure or function prediction).