Second Annual Industry Workshop on Technical Solutions for Biosecurity in Synthetic Biology

The workshop on Synthetic Biology is organized by the The Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California Berkeley and the IASB. The Workshop will focus on practical steps that the DNA synthesis services companies can take to improve biosecurity including further development of the various Work Packages agreed to at IASB’s Workshop on Technical Solutions for Biosecurity in Synthetic Biology www.ia-sb.report.de in 2008.  Specific goals will include:

  • Code of Conduct. The workshop will finalize a Code of Conduct for the DNA synthesis services industry. IASB’s draft Code (attached) has been widely circulated and received widespread praise from both industry and government over the past year. The Workshop will host a final, face-to-face markup session to finalize this widely-anticipated document.
  • Virulence Factor Information Repository (VIREP).  Comprehensive virulence factor data are the key to making today’s screening technologies stronger and more cost-effective. The VIREP Collaboration will allow gene synthesis companies to combine data from their respective screening programs with published research to compile a comprehensive virulence factor database. IASB members will conduct a pilot-scale test of VIREP 1.0 software later this summer.  We expect Workshop participants to discuss and finalize lessons learned from this summer’s pilot; needed improvements for VIREP1.1; membership, sharing, and confidentiality rules; curation strategies; and governance.
  • Next Steps. VIREP, the Code of Conduct, and the other projects agreed to in Munich are approaching maturity. It is therefore time to consider other practical steps that our industry can take to improve biosecurity. These will almost certainly include initiatives  to improve industry-wide sharing of information about threats and screening technologies. Please contact us if you have a proposal that you would like to present.
  • Work Packages and Timetable. The Workshop will update the Work Packages and Roadmap agreed to in Munich. to provide a specific timeline for implementing the Code of Conduct, VIREP, and our other initiatives. This will facilitate coordination with software development projects elsewhere in the community and create a focus for funding requests.
  • Nature  has called The Code of Conduct and VIREP “laudable first steps.” We hope you will join us to help our industry follow through on these Work Packages and initiate new ones.

The workshop will take place on November 03, 2009 in Cambridge (MA)  immediately following MIT’s iGEM Jamboree. The exact location and agenda will be announced in September. In the meantime, if you are interested in participating, please send an email to fischer@ia-sb.eu and save the date.