The UK’s leadership in the responsible use of engineering biology will be driven forward by the first-ever meeting of the UK Biosecurity Leadership Council.
The UK Biosecurity Leadership Council will help shape the way advances in engineering biology are governed.
Moreover, it will guard against potential risks whilst ensuring the UK’s world-leading biology, health, and life science innovators are supported to explore, invent, and continue to thrive.
What is engineering biology?
Engineering biology is one of the most exciting new frontiers in science.
It describes the application of rigorous engineering principles to biology, enabling the construction of new or redesigned biological systems, such as cells or proteins.
It also has the potential to change the way we grow food, create medical treatments, and produce the sustainable fuel we need to run our cars, homes, and offices.
Engineering biology is one of the five critical technologies being nurtured by a single government department for the first time because of their strategic importance to the future prosperity and security of the UK.
This sector has the potential to grow at tremendous speed, driving forward the Prime Minister’s priority to grow the economy.
Steve Bates OBE, CEO of the UK BioIndustry Association, explained: “Engineering biology has great potential and diverse applications.
This makes it a decisive force in tackling our world’s biggest challenges, from climate change to environmental degradation and feeding the growing global population.”
What are the goals of the Biosecurity Leadership Council?
Firstly, the Biosecurity Leadership Council will focus on how the responsible development of DNA-based technology should be governed.
The council will include representatives from universities such as Kings College London and Cambridge; leaders from companies such as GSK, Deepmind, AstraZeneca, and Oxford Nanopore; and stakeholder groups including the UK Bioindustry Association and the Centre for Long-Term Resilience.
Members of the council will help ministers and officials build their understanding of how industry-changing tools like AI and new techniques for engineering DNA are being used, the potential risks they pose, and how those can be mitigated in a practical and proportional way.
“The Biosecurity Leadership Council brings together experts from our world-leading life sciences and biotechnology sectors in the UK,” said Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden.
“This is vital in making sure we continue to drive breakthroughs in engineering biology and manage biosecurity risks effectively.”
Establishing the council was one of the objectives of the UK Biological Security Strategy, published in June, which sets out the government’s overall plan to build our national resilience to future biological threats, whilst establishing the UK as a world leader in responsible innovation.
What’s next for the UK science industry?
The government is continuing to develop wider policy to support the huge potential of the UK’s engineering biology sector, and a call for evidence is still open until the end of September.
Furthermore, the latest in a series of roundtables is being hosted by Ministers today, bringing science leaders and businesses from across the country together with policymakers to look at how the UK’s chemicals and materials industries can be boosted.
Sophie Rose, Senior Biosecurity Policy Advisor at the Centre for Long-Term Resilience, concluded: “We praise the government’s commitment to ensuring the UK sets the example for empowering responsible innovation across emerging scientific sectors.
“The Biosecurity Leadership Council is a great starting point to ensure that a wide range of relevant external expertise is readily available to address both acute and chronic biological risks.”
