Programs & Activities

• Building International Best Practices For Robust Synthetic Nucleic Acid Screening

  This project aims to establish a set of internationally recognized best practices for nucleic acid synthesis screening through a coordinated global approach. This initiative will build on EBRC’s previous work to enhance biosecurity and ensure screening practices are robust and resilient to evolving technological risks.

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• End-to-End Stress Testing (E2EST) of DNA Synthesis Screening

  This project will conduct end-to-end stress testing (E2EST) of nucleic acid synthesis providers. We will use customers with different attributes and sequences with different biorisk profiles to learn about provider customer, sequence, and follow-up screening practices.

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• Enabling Quality, Measurable Synthetic DNA Sequence Screening

  This project aims to improve DNA synthesis screening by enabling the development of better tools and mechanisms for screening performance evaluation.

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• Malice Analysis: Assessing Biotechnology Research for Security Concerns

  EBRC’s Malice Analysis program endeavors to build and support security awareness within the engineering biology community by training participants to evaluate their own work for security concerns. By providing participants with the tools and framework to engage in this type of analysis, EBRC hopes they will be prepared to consider, discuss, and improve security in engineering biology research throughout their careers.

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• BIoSecurity Opportunities Nexus

  BIoSecurity Opportunities Nexus (BISON) compiles student and postdoc-relevant biosecurity opportunities, including graduate and postdoc academic programs, scholarships, fellowships, and internships. BISON includes both international and domestic (US) opportunities.

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Working Group

The Security Working Group is comprised of synthetic biology professionals from academia, industry, and government who keep abreast of new developments in the field and communicate the security implications of these developments to appropriate stakeholders. This group also serves as a resource for external organizations to draw upon for technical expertise from practitioners with an understanding of security implications.

Chair: Kate Adamala
Staff Director: Becky Mackelprang

• Council Member

  
  Kate Adamala
  University of Minnesota
  Assistant Professor
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• 
  Christopher Anderson
  University of California, Berkeley
  Associate Professor
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• Council Member

  
  Nicole Buan
  University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  Associate Professor
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• Council Member

  
  Sarah Carter
  Science Policy Consulting LLC
  Principal
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• 
  Carolyn Chapman
  Brigham and Women's Hospital
  Lead Investigator
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• 
  Virginia Cornish
  Columbia University
  Helena Rubinstein Professor
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• Council Member

  
  James Diggans
  Twist Bioscience Corporation
  Director, Bioinformatics and Biosecurity
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• Council Member

  
  John Dileo
  MITRE
  
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• Council Member

  
  Robert Egbert
  Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
  Staff Scientist
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• 
  Andrew Ellington
  University of Texas at Austin
  Professor
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• Council Member

  
  Sam Weiss Evans
  US National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology
  Senior Policy Advisor
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• Council Member

  
  John Glass
  J. Craig Venter Institute
  Professor
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• Council Member

  
  Nathan Hillson
  Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
  Staff Scientist
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• 
  Farren Isaacs
  Yale University
  Associate Professor
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• 
  Gregory Koblentz
  George Mason University
  Associate Professor and Director, Biodefense Graduate Program
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• 
  Becky Mackelprang
  EBRC
  Director for Security Programs
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• 
  June Medford
  Colorado State University
  Professor
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• Council Member

  
  Tae Seok Moon
  J. Craig Venter Institute
  Professor
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• Council Member

  
  Vincent Noireaux
  University of Minnesota
  Professor
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• 
  Meagan Olsen
  Northwestern University
  Ph.D. Candidate
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• Council Member

  
  Jean Peccoud
  Colorado State University
  Professor, Abell Chair in Synthetic Biology
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• 
  Elibio Rech
  National Institute of S&T in Synthetic Biology/EMBRAPA
  Dr.
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• 
  Cameron Roots
  
  
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• 
  Todd Treangen
  Rice University
  Assistant Professor
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• Council Member

  
  Laurie Zoloth
  University of Chicago
  Professor
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