TO MAKE it harder for bioterrorists to build dangerous viruses from scratch, guidelines for firms who supply “custom DNA” are being introduced in the US.
The US and other countries restrict who can work with certain germs, but it might be possible to build some viruses from their genes. A number of firms supply DNA sequences to order. A 2005 investigation by Â鶹´«Ã½ raised alarms when it found that .
The US now wants firms to and make sure they are not on a . It also wants them to screen orders for sequences that are unique to , a list of microbes the US deems dangerous.
However, scientists commenting on the draft rules earlier this year that sequences from microbes other than Select Agents might also be dangerous. The US Department of Health says not enough is known about them to say which ones should arouse a firm’s suspicions. Other potential weaknesses include the fact that the rules are voluntary, and that much custom DNA is made .
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