Threat Countermeasures

A new DARPA program could help unlock the potential of advanced gene editing technologies by developing a set of tools to address potential risks of this rapidly advancing field. The Safe Genes program envisions addressing key safety gaps by using those tools to restrict or reverse the propagation of engineered genetic constructs.

It may not be obvious to humans, but the life of a plant is full of peril. Viruses, pests, fungi, herbicides, drought, pollution, salinity, flooding, and frost—the plants that we depend on for food, clean air, and materials are challenged by myriad threats, natural and man-made. By extension, human populations are put at risk when food security is challenged and the agricultural underpinnings of our economies are destabilized, especially when threats emerge rapidly or unexpectedly.

DARPA’s Biological Technologies Office is hosting a Proposers Day meeting to provide information to potential applicants on the structure and objectives of the new Insect Allies program. Insect Allies will seek to develop vector-mediated modification technologies for mature plants to rapidly counter environmental and biological threats to crops. DARPA believes that the high specificity of genetic modification coupled with quick plant gene uptake could allow crops to be protected from threats within a single growing season.

DARPA’s Biological Technologies Office (BTO) is hosting a Proposers Day to provide information to potential proposers on the objectives of the upcoming Safe Genes program. The program aims to help unlock the potential of advanced gene editing technologies by developing a set of biosafety and biosecurity tools to address potential risks of this rapidly advancing field.

DARPA is soliciting innovative research proposals to generate and evaluate novel biological tools and countermeasures that facilitate the safe pursuit of advanced genome editing applications, while reducing the risk of, and providing new protections against, potential engineered genetic threats. Proposed research should investigate radically different approaches to integrate biosafety and biosecurity features into new genome editing biotechnologies and their derivative applications at their inception.