Browsing by Author "Marken, John"

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    1.1 Towards frameworks for evaluation and governance of Biotechnologies Beyond Conventional Containment
    (Rice University, 2025) Marken, John
    At the Spirit of Asilomar meeting, one working group met to discuss whether a consistent framework for categorizing and providing guidance for the use of Biotechnologies Beyond Conventional Containment (BBCCs), similar to how the Biosafety Level framework operates for the laboratory use of biological agents, could be developed. This document presents some of the major conclusions from these discussions, outlines the general structure of what a framework might look like, and states some open questions that still need to be addressed to develop any concrete implmeentation of such a framework.
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    1.5 Identifying and Addressing the Risk of the Environmental Release of Organisms — Engineered or Natural
    (Rice University, 2025) Chemla, Yonatan; Alexanian, Tessa; Barrios, Felix Moronta; Demirer, Gozde; Flores, Alonso; Karthikeyan, Smruthi; Lindner, Ariel B.; Mackelprang, Becky; Marken, John; Mitra, Aishwarya Sparky; Molla, Kutubuddin A.; Rudenko, Larisa; Syberg-Olsen, Mitchell J.; Wu, Felicia; Silberg, Jonathan (Joff); Voigt, Christopher A.
    The environmental release of both engineered and non-engineered organisms for Biotechnologies Beyond Conventional Containment (BBCC) offers unique solutions to pressing global challenges, including the prevention of soil degradation, the attenuation of nitrogen pollution, the replacement of harmful pesticides and herbicides, the remediation of anthropogenic contaminants and ‘forever chemicals’ mitigation. An evaluation of impacts, both positive and negative, rather than arbitrary prohibitions, is crucial for advancing the responsible use of organisms intentionally released into the environment. The history of biological interventions demonstrates that organisms have successfully contributed to agriculture, pollution remediation, ecosystem restoration, waste upcycling, and pest control, yet their full potential remains constrained by regulatory hurdles that do not fully account for modern scientific advancements. At the same time, some releases serve as cautionary tales, having caused harm due to a lack of regulation and monitoring. Unlike chemicals released to the environment, organisms — particularly those designed or selected for specific functions — can be managed with built-in safeguards, ranging from physical and genetic containment strategies to controlled ecological interactions to mitigate risks while maximizing benefits. Advancements in precision engineering, computational modeling, and real-time monitoring technologies now allow for unprecedented accuracy in tracking, assessing, and controlling the environmental impact of released organisms — capabilities inaccessible when recombinant DNA technology first emerged 50 years ago. Many regulatory structures were developed decades before today’s explosion of biological knowledge and insight was even imaginable. This resulted in our current policies that have become restrictive, limiting the deployment of innovative and promising biological solutions. A new approach to risk analysis is now needed that accounts for changes in science, and in society, which assesses the environmental release of natural, evolved, and engineered organisms based on their functions rather than their origin or how they were developed. By modernizing these frameworks to emphasize continuous assessment, real-world data collection, and adaptive risk assessment and management, stakeholders can create a regulatory pathway for the sustainable, responsible, and evidence-based integration of environmental biological technologies.