Reuters
Wed, February 4, 2026
U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar declares her candidacy for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., February 10, 2019. REUTERS/Eric Miller
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Two U.S. senators this week introduced a bill that would create new rules around the sale of synthetic gene sequences that could be used to create bioweapons.
Synthetic genes are sequences of nucleic acids - the building blocks of biological life found in DNA - created in labs for use in medical research, gene therapies and crop development, among other uses.
In recent years, scientists have started using artificial intelligence to discover or design new sequences, which can then be synthesized on machines that can fit on a benchtop.
Senator Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, and Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, this week introduced a bill that directs the U.S. Department of Commerce to require the labs that do gene synthesis work to screen their customers and orders to ensure that bad actors are not ordering dangerous sequences.
The bill would require the Commerce Department, with the help of other federal agencies, to compile a list of potentially dangerous genetic sequences.
“While access to genetic material allows scientists to study diseases, develop lifesaving medicine, and improve crops, without safety standards it could be misused, including to create bioweapons," Klobuchar, the No. 3 Democrat in the Senate, said in a statement.
The bill also takes the first steps toward pulling together current biosecurity regulations, which are scattered across the U.S. government, to both streamline the regulations, keep pace with fast-moving technology companies and address safety gaps.
“American innovations in biotechnology are too important to fall into the hands of bad actors or be hamstrung by outdated federal policies," Cotton, the No. 3 Republican in the Senate, said in a statement.
Gene synthesis has captured the attention of lawmakers before.
Last year, the U.S. House of Representatives committee on China sent a letter to the directors of the FBI and national intelligence, renewing its concerns about GenScript Biotechnology's work with U.S. companies because of its ties to China.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers in both houses of the U.S. Congress also last year introduced a bill that would require U.S. firms to obtain an export license before sending gene sequence data to China.
(Reporting by Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Editing by Michael Perry)
Senate Republican on suspected biolab found in Las Vegas: ‘Enormous problem’
Ashleigh Fields
Wed, February 4, 2026
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) on Tuesday said the suspected biological research lab found in Las Vegas poses an “enormous problem” to the public after investigators collected vials with “unknown liquids” at a private residence.
“This is a enormous problem. It’s under everybody’s, it’s under the radar. It’s very easy to obtain this kind of information, start doing this gain of function with CRISPR technology” Johnson said during an appearance on NewsNation’s “Katie Pavlich Tonight,” using the acronym for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats.
“This is a real threat to our national security,” he added.
Johnson referenced the possibility of individuals using CRISPR, which is a precise, efficient gene-editing technology derived from bacterial immune systems that acts as molecular scissors to modify, delete or correct DNA sequences, according to the Broad Institute, a non-profit biomedical research organization.
The technology also allows individuals to disable a gene or insert new genetic material.
Johnson told host Katie Pavlich that Congress has “no idea” how many illegal labs are operating across the country.
After an initial investigation, authorities believe the lab found in Las Vegas has possible ties to Jia Bei Zhu, who was arrested in 2023 for failing to obtain the proper permits to manufacture tests for COVID-19, pregnancy and HIV, and mislabeling some of the kits for a biolab in Reedley, Calif., according to The Associated Press.
Investigators also located “pathogen-labeled containers” with labels in English and Mandarin that read “dengue fever,” “HIV” and “malaria,” along with 1,000 mice, according to a federal report from the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.
“He is not involved in any kind of a biolab being conducted in a home in Las Vegas,” his attorney, Anthony Capozzi, told the outlet.
“What went on in that residence we are unaware of,” he added.
However, his name is listed as the registered agent of the Las Vegas-based company that owns the property where SWAT officers executed a search warrant of the alleged biolab, according to KLAS. The LLC purchased the home in 2022.
In court documents, the man previously told a judge he no longer runs the companies, though he remained listed in Nevada business records, KLAS reported.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment