1.5 Identifying and Addressing the Risk of the Environmental Release of Organisms — Engineered or Natural

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dc.contributor.authorChemla, Yonatanen_US
dc.contributor.authorAlexanian, Tessaen_US
dc.contributor.authorBarrios, Felix Morontaen_US
dc.contributor.authorDemirer, Gozdeen_US
dc.contributor.authorFlores, Alonsoen_US
dc.contributor.authorKarthikeyan, Smruthien_US
dc.contributor.authorLindner, Ariel B.en_US
dc.contributor.authorMackelprang, Beckyen_US
dc.contributor.authorMarken, Johnen_US
dc.contributor.authorMitra, Aishwarya Sparkyen_US
dc.contributor.authorMolla, Kutubuddin A.en_US
dc.contributor.authorRudenko, Larisaen_US
dc.contributor.authorSyberg-Olsen, Mitchell J.en_US
dc.contributor.authorWu, Feliciaen_US
dc.contributor.authorSilberg, Jonathan (Joff)en_US
dc.contributor.authorVoigt, Christopher A.en_US
dc.date.accessioned2025-06-03T19:43:09Zen_US
dc.date.available2025-06-03T19:43:09Zen_US
dc.date.issued2025en_US
dc.descriptionThis entreaty was created as part of The Spirit of Asilomar and the Future of Biotechnology summit (February 23-26, 2025) in Pacific Grove, CA.en_US
dc.description.abstractThe 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.en_US
dc.identifier.citationChemla, Y., Alexanian, T., Moronta Barrios, F., Demirer, G., Flores, A., Karthikeyan, S., Lindner, A., Mackelprang, B., Marken, J., Mitra, A., Molla, K. A., Rudenko, L., Syberg-Olsen, M. J., Wu, F., Silberg, J., & Voigt, C. A. (2025). 1.5 Identifying and Addressing the Risk of the Environmental Release of Organisms — Engineered or Natural. Rice University. https://doi.org/10.25611/RSQD-6V17en_US
dc.identifier.digitalSOA_2025.1.5_Identifying_and_Addressing_the_Risk_of_the_Environmental_Release_of_Organisms-Engineered_or_Naturalen_US
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.25611/RSQD-6V17en_US
dc.identifier.orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-0465-9393en_US
dc.identifier.orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-0493-0451en_US
dc.identifier.orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-1627-8472en_US
dc.identifier.orcidhttps://orcid.org/0009-0003-7529-3231en_US
dc.identifier.orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-5612-0667en_US
dc.identifier.orcidhttps://orcid.org/0009-0006-0929-2056en_US
dc.identifier.orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-1108-7124en_US
dc.identifier.orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-9433-8576en_US
dc.identifier.orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-5015-6511en_US
dc.identifier.orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-6226-4536en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/118551en_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherRice Universityen_US
dc.rightsAttribution 4.0 Internationalen_US
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en_US
dc.title1.5 Identifying and Addressing the Risk of the Environmental Release of Organisms — Engineered or Naturalen_US
dc.typeReporten_US
dc.type.dcmiTexten_US
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2025 "The Spirit of Asilomar and the Future of Biotechnology"