Singapore, 6 November 2025

The International Biosecurity and Biosafety Initiative for Science (IBBIS) has launched a Technical Consortium to fast-track practical, internationally aligned standards for DNA synthesis screening—a critical safeguard for a secure, trusted, and competitive global bioeconomy.

DNA synthesis underpins breakthroughs in health, agriculture, climate, and industrial biotech. But as synthetic biology and AI-enabled design accelerate, patchy screening of sequences and customers leaves exploitable gaps—eroding trust and putting responsible providers at a disadvantage.

The IBBIS Technical Consortium unites international organisations, leading companies, and scientific experts to deliver clear, workable screening requirements that any provider, large or small, can adopt and regulators can reference.

The world doesn’t need another statement of intent—it needs instructions that work. This Consortium is the engine that will convert standards into simple, consistent workflows that raise the floor for global biosecurity and let innovation thrive.

– Sophie Peresson, IBBIS Technical Lead for the International Standards Initiative

The IBBIS Technical Consortium will work alongside the Sequence Biosecurity Risk Consortium (SBRC), announced last week in Paris, to advance global standards for synthesis screening. While the SBRC defines what counts as a sequence of concern, the Technical Consortium translates those definitions into practical, internationally-aligned standards so that orders are screened consistently and effectively. Together, they link scientific consensus with real-world implementation.

What the Consortium will deliver

• Stronger standards, made usable: Translate benchmarks like ISO 20688-2 into clear and actionable, practical requirements for screening DNA orders and customers.
• Real-world implementation: Publish ready-to-use guidance, workflows, and tools that cut complexity and cost while improving consistency.
• Global coordination: Align industry, regulators, and international bodies so screening practices are interoperable, transparent, and trusted worldwide.

How it works

IBBIS will serve as Secretariat, convening ~30 experts across regions and sectors. Agile working groups and scheduled peer reviews will build consensus quickly and pilot solutions in real settings before broader rollout.

Why it matters

• Clear rules of the road: Robust, interoperable screening practices that scale globally.
• Lower compliance burden: Practical tools that make “doing the right thing” simpler and cheaper.
• Market confidence: Consistent safeguards that reward responsible actors and level the playing field.
• Reduced misuse risk: Fewer blind spots across the synthesis supply chain, aligned with international non-proliferation commitments.

Inaugural members include

Nisreen AL-Hmoud, Lela Bakanidze, Luis Alberto Ochoa Carrera, Aamer Ikram, Angela Kane, Dr Talkmore Maruta, Iqbal Parker, Herawati Sudoyo, Sacha Wallace-Sankarsingh, Lawrence Mugisha, Onyeka Kingsley Nwosu, Becky Mackelprang, and Weiwen Zhang.

Get involved

IBBIS is inviting expressions of interest from organisations and experts who can contribute to the Consortium’s technical drafting, piloting, and global alignment efforts. For more information or to discuss participation, please contact Sophie Peresson: sophie@ibbis.bio