At the Storage and Computing with DNA conference on June 20 in Paris, IBBIS international standards lead Sophie Peresson presented a keynote on the urgent biosecurity challenges posed by synthetic nucleic acid technologies, including those used in emerging data storage systems.

Synthetic DNA and RNA are transforming the way we store, analyze, and interact with information. DNA data storage technologies offer the potential to compress entire data centers into a vial of DNA and are now being pursued by DNA synthesis companies around the world, including CATALOG (USA), Biomemory (France), BioSistemika (Slovenia), and Twist Bioscience (USA), all of which are members of the DNA Data Storage Alliance.

The use of synthesis for DNA data storage creates new contexts in which safeguards against accidental or deliberate misuse are needed. As executives of CATALOG, a DNA data storage company that uses IBBIS’s Common Mechanism, wrote in a World Economic Forum report in October 2024:

As we create new DNA molecules, it is essential that we rigorously screen for high-risk sequence patterns… The challenge here lies in the sheer scale of what we are working with. All the information stored in football-field-sized data centres can be converted into a small vial of synthetic DNA. This necessitates a robust strategy to ensure that every combination we produce remains safe.”

Despite the stakes, there are currently no binding international requirements for DNA synthesis providers or benchtop device users to screen sequences or customers. Some companies do so voluntarily, but the absence of enforceable standards leaves critical security gaps—and disadvantages responsible actors who screen. This call for action comes at a time of growing global attention to biosecurity:

• On May 5 2025, the United States issued an Executive Order that called for “actions to achieve comprehensive, scalable, and verifiable nucleic acid synthesis screening“
• Biosecurity provisions are being considered in the upcoming European Parliament vote on its report on the future of EU biotechnology and biomanufacturing, as well as the EU Biotech Act currently under development by the European Commission.
• Other jurisdictions, including the UK and New Zealand, are advancing guidance and legislation on nucleic acid screening.
• International institutions have also stepped in: ISO 20688-2:2024 provides technical requirements for gene synthesis, including a dedicated section on biosecurity.

As Sophie Peresson said in her keynote:

“As synthetic biology converges with automation and artificial intelligence, DNA storage must evolve within a secure and trusted ecosystem. Researchers and developers working on these transformative technologies have a crucial role to play—not just as innovators, but as responsible actors shaping the future of biosecurity.

Feature image of DNA used for data storage from Tara Brown Photography/University of Washington on Flickr.