Anticipating emerging biotechnology threats

This article discusses the contingencies and complexities of CRISPR. It outlines key problems regarding off-target effects and replication of experimental work that are important to consider in light of CRISPR’s touted ease of use and diffusion. In light of literature on the sociotechnical dimension...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPolitics and the life sciences Vol. 37; no. 2; pp. 203 - 219
Main Authors Vogel, Kathleen M., Ouagrham-Gormley, Sonia Ben
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York, USA Cambridge University Press 23.10.2018
Subjects
replication
CRISPR
biosecurity
diffusion
off-target effects
gene editing
technical challenges
biological weapons
intelligence
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Summary:This article discusses the contingencies and complexities of CRISPR. It outlines key problems regarding off-target effects and replication of experimental work that are important to consider in light of CRISPR’s touted ease of use and diffusion. In light of literature on the sociotechnical dimensions of the life sciences and biotechnology and literature on former bioweapons programs, this article argues that we need more detailed empirical case studies of the social and technical factors shaping CRISPR and related gene-editing techniques in order to better understand how they may be different from other advances in biotechnology — or whether similar features remain. This information will be critical to better inform intelligence practitioners and policymakers about the security implications of new gene-editing techniques.
ISSN:0730-9384
1471-5457
DOI:10.1017/pls.2018.21