IBBIS was proud to launch the Sequence Biosecurity Risk Consortium (SBRC), a community advancing global engineering standards for identifying and managing biological sequences of concern, at the 2025 iGEM Responsibility Conference.

The consortium defines “sequences of concern” (SOCs) based on a scientific assessment of biosecurity risk from synthetic nucleic acids. Its consensus-based engineering standards ensure that industry screening systems are aligned on what should be flagged, while providing a trusted forum to share and address uncertainties and vulnerabilities.

Why sequence biosecurity standards?

Responsible synthesis providers already screen DNA and RNA orders to prevent misuse. However, it’s unclear how to translate screening guidance and policies such as export controls into sequence-level decisions. IBBIS has contributed to several papers on this challenge, and highlighted several specific questions in a recent preprint:

• Should sequences that are unique to a regulated pathogen, but which have common benign uses in synthetic biology (such as IRES and 2A sequences) be flagged?
• Should sequences from non-regulated organisms with strong homology to regulated toxins (such as heat-labile E. coli enterotoxins with significant homology to Cholera toxin) be flagged?
• Should sequences from regulated organisms be flagged if those sequences are unique, but not known to be virulence factors?

Without clear standard definitions of SOCs, providers face uncertainty that can lead to inconsistent decisions, lost customers, or regulatory penalties.

The SBRC narrows this uncertainty by defining shared interpretations of low-risk and high-risk sequences, while flagging areas where scientific disagreement remains. This approach promotes both security and responsible innovation in synthetic biology.

As we developed the Common Mechanism, we had to make subjective decisions about how to translate risk and regulation into screening decisions. Those decisions should not be based on the opinions of individual software developers and synthesis companies, but should be coordinated across the global industry. Through the SBRC, we are collaboratively developing a shared, science-based understanding of sequence risks.
―Tessa Alexanian, IBBIS Technical Lead

Funded by Sentinel Bio through support to the International Gene Synthesis Consortium (IGSC) and IBBIS, the SBRC brings together synthesis providers, screening tool developers, policymakers, and scientific experts to develop technical consensus on biosecurity screening. The SBRC’s collaborative, science-based resources include:

• Biosecurity flag rubric: A standardized rubric for assessing sequence-level biosecurity risk.
• Test sets collection: Thousands of sequences labeled “flag” or “no flag” to support validation and benchmarking of screening tools.

The consortium also provides a trusted space to disclose, discuss, and address screening vulnerabilities collaboratively. The consortium has already responded to several such disclosures, including one recently reported in Science.

The SBRC will work alongside the IBBIS Technical Consortium supporting the international standards project to advance global standards for synthesis screening. While the SBRC defines what counts as a sequence of concern, the Technical Consortium will translate those definitions into practical, internationally-aligned standards so that orders are screened consistently and effectively. Together, they link scientific consensus with real-world implementation.

To learn more, visit sbrc.bio. If you or your organization would like to join the SBRC, please contact us.