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Explore the critical intersection of biotechnology advancement and biosecurity risks in this 25-minute conference presentation from the 2025 Storage and Computing with DNA Conference. Examine how the bioeconomy's reliance on synthetic nucleic acids (NAs) for data storage, medical diagnostics, and biomanufacturing creates both opportunities and security challenges. Learn about the increasing accessibility and affordability of DNA and RNA synthesis technologies that enable beneficial applications while simultaneously raising concerns about potential misuse. Understand the biosecurity implications when synthetic nucleic acid sequences could be used to construct pathogens, toxins, or other dangerous biological agents, and discover how accidental or deliberate misuse could lead to catastrophic outcomes with pandemic-scale impacts on population health and economic prosperity. Gain insights into the current biosecurity landscape and the measures needed to balance innovation with safety in the rapidly evolving field of synthetic biology.
