GCRI · Biotechnology and Biosecurity
Synthetic biology
Synthetic biology applies engineering principles to biology: designing genetic systems, building them, testing how they behave and learning from the results. It promises new medicines, materials, fuels and agricultural products. This topic, studied at Biotechnology and Biosecurity, a platform of The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI), examines how the design-build-test-learn cycle is changing, what safeguards accompany it and how governance can keep pace without stifling beneficial research.
Synthetic biology in six parts.
What experts ask.
- How are falling costs and automation changing who can do synthetic biology, and where?
- Which safeguards are built into tools, supply chains and institutions, and how effective are they?
- How should engineered organisms be assessed before use outside contained facilities?
- How do computational design and artificial intelligence change the risk picture?
- How can oversight be proportionate to risk rather than to novelty?
Environmental exposure in West Africa.
Daytime surface heat, population density and haze over West Africa, from NASA GIBS. Each layer carries its own date.
The interactive map needs JavaScript; the layer list and sources are below.
Layers 3
Environmental exposure, for this page
About this layer
- Evidence
- Observed (persistent cloud still leaves gaps)
- Source
- VIIRS NOAA-20 Level 3, 8-day (NASA LANCE)
- Provider
- NASA LANCE
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- 8-day; Satellite 8-day composite; persistent cloud still leaves gaps
- Newest at build
- 2026-09-14
- Resolution
- about 1 km grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite skin temperature of the ground over the 8 days ending on the date shown, a heat exposure indicator; not air temperature, heat index or a heat warning.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Estimated
- Source
- Gridded Population of the World v4.11 (NASA SEDAC (CIESIN, Columbia University))
- Provider
- NASA SEDAC (CIESIN, Columbia University)
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0
- Vintage
- null; Census-based estimate, static (2020)
- Resolution
- about 1 km grid
- Uncertainty
- Census-based estimate of people per square kilometre in 2020, shown as exposure context; not a count of people affected by any hazard.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Observed (clouds leave gaps)
- Source
- VIIRS NOAA-20 Deep Blue AOD (NASA LANCE)
- Provider
- NASA LANCE
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- daily; Satellite retrieval; clouds leave gaps
- Newest at build
- 2026-10-14
- Resolution
- about 2 km grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite measure of haze, smoke and dust through the whole air column on the day shown; an exposure indicator, not ground-level PM2.5, an air quality index or a health warning.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Observed (clouds leave gaps)
- Source
- MODIS Terra NDVI (NASA LANCE)
- Provider
- NASA LANCE
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- daily; Satellite index; clouds leave gaps
- Newest at build
- 2026-10-13
- Resolution
- about 250 m grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite greenness index over the 8 days to the date shown; an indicator of crop and pasture condition, not a yield estimate or a food security warning.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Observed (clouds leave gaps)
- Source
- OMI Aura (NASA GES DISC)
- Provider
- NASA GES DISC
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- daily; Satellite retrieval; clouds leave gaps
- Newest at build
- 2026-10-10
- Resolution
- about 2 km grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite column of nitrogen dioxide in the lower atmosphere on the day shown, mostly from combustion; not a ground-level concentration or a health warning.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Observed
- Source
- VIIRS NOAA-20 corrected reflectance (NASA LANCE)
- Provider
- NASA LANCE
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- daily; Satellite image
- Newest at build
- 2026-10-14
- Resolution
- about 250 m grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite image. Satellite or model raster as the provider publishes it. Clouds, swath gaps and retrieval error leave gaps and noise; values are indicators, not measurements at a place.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
Keyboard, with the map focused
Hold Ctrl or ⌘ and scroll to zoom
Latest available
NASA GIBS / EOSDIS · ASTER GDEM (METI, NASA) · Blue Marble (NASA) · © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Natural Earth
Loading the latest NASA imagery.
Drag to move. Ctrl or ⌘ and scroll, pinch or the buttons to zoom; hover for the values under the pointer; reset returns to the region.
Environmental exposure, framed on West Africa.Satellite and model products as NASA publishes them, each with its own date. They are indicators, not assessments of any place.
Data: NASA GIBS · ASTER GDEM · Blue Marble · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Natural Earth · NASA EONET · ESA Copernicus Sentinel-5P TROPOMI · NASA JPL OPERA DIST-ALERTSources and licences
- We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA’s Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA’s Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA’s Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA’s Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- VIIRS near-real-time products (flood, land surface temperature, snow cover, corrected reflectance), NASA LANCE; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University. 2018. Gridded Population of the World, Version 4 (GPWv4): Population Density, Revision 11. NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). doi:10.7927/H49C6VHW. CC BY 4.0
- MODIS and VIIRS atmosphere products, NASA LANCE and LAADS DAAC; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- MODIS land products (vegetation indices, gross primary production, land cover), NASA LP DAAC and LANCE; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- OMI nitrogen dioxide (Aura) and OMPS aerosol index (Suomi NPP), NASA; distributed by the NASA GES DISC; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- ASTER GDEM is a product of METI and NASA (ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model V003, NASA LP DAAC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). Cite as: NASA/METI/AIST/Japan Spacesystems and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team (2019). ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model V003. doi:10.5067/ASTER/ASTGTM.003. NASA open data
- Made with Natural Earth. Free vector and raster map data @ naturalearthdata.com. Public domain
- © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via NASA GIBS (coastlines, boundaries, roads and place names). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). ODbL
- Blue Marble, NASA Earth Observatory; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- Context on the globe and flat map: coastlines, boundaries, roads and place names from NASA GIBS reference layers (OpenStreetMap data, ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors); Blue Marble imagery as an optional base; 3D terrain and the elevation read-out from the ASTER GDEM elevation colour index (5 m to 200 m classes, exaggerated for legibility). Boundaries are drawn as published and imply no position on any territory.
- Live events: NASA Earth Observatory Natural Event Tracker (EONET); events are indicative and keep their original source links.
- Observed (EO): ESA Copernicus Sentinel-5P TROPOMI (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2026). We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA’s Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA’s Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS).
- Observed (EO): NASA JPL OPERA DIST-ALERT (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2026). We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA’s Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA’s Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS).
- NASA GIBS: We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA’s Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA’s Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS).
- Air quality forecast, 5 days, PM2.5 (CAMS via Open-Meteo): Contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information 2026.
- Past year, daily temperature (ERA5 via Open-Meteo): Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
- Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (https://open-meteo.com/), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- Optional layers (14 sources in the layer list: live, forecast, observed and context) print their provider credit on the map and here when switched on; forecasts are model output and derived indices are estimates.
Layers and dates
- Land surface temperature, day, 8-day composite: VIIRS NOAA-20 Level 3, 8-day, NASA LANCE · 14 Sep 2026
- Population density, 2020: Population: CIESIN, Columbia University, Gridded Population of the World v4.11 (2018), NASA SEDAC, CC BY 4.0 · static
- Aerosol optical depth, daily: VIIRS NOAA-20 Deep Blue AOD, NASA LANCE · 13 Oct 2026
- Vegetation greenness (NDVI), rolling 8 days: MODIS Terra NDVI, NASA LANCE · 13 Oct 2026
- Nitrogen dioxide, lower atmosphere column: OMI Aura, NASA GES DISC · 10 Oct 2026
- True colour: VIIRS NOAA-20 corrected reflectance, NASA LANCE · 13 Oct 2026
Synthetic biology creates benefits and governance questions across domains.
Governance studies are designed for the Exponential Technology series. The WHO framework (2022), the Cartagena Protocol and the CBD’s 2024 decision on digital sequence information frame governance; no technical protocols are published.
- Governance analyses.
- Responsible innovation case studies.
Oversight and capacity register.
The screen a team would use to follow this subject: its measures, states and decisions. Names are examples and values are illustrative.
Oversight and capacity register
Synthetic biology · National committee · Review year 2
- Institutions with a committee, %61Watch
- Staff trained, %94Normal
- Reviews completed73this year
- Incident reports filed9Info
Institutional oversight
| Institution A | Active | Q4 | 96 | Current |
| Research campus | Active | Q1 | 63 | Audit due |
| Biomanufacturing site | Forming | none | 54 | Support |
| Diagnostic network | Active | Q2 | 87 | Current |
Scope note
- Covers
- governance, training, review capacity
- Excludes
- technical methods and agents
- Authority
- national oversight body
- Label
- SURVEY
Drivers and dynamics.
Synthetic biology rests on reading DNA through sequencing, writing it through synthesis and editing it with precise tools, combined with standardised genetic parts and computational design. Automation in so-called biofoundries and cloud laboratories has accelerated the cycle of design and testing. Costs have fallen and capabilities have spread to universities, start-ups and community laboratories worldwide.
Safeguards operate at several layers: screening of synthetic DNA orders by providers, institutional biosafety review, containment of engineered organisms, and built-in biological controls that limit survival outside the laboratory. Each layer has gaps. Screening practices vary between providers and jurisdictions, and design tools increasingly operate beyond the reach of traditional oversight.
The platform works at the level of governance, evaluation and risk methods. It publishes no protocols, techniques or information that would increase anyone’s capacity to cause harm.
Model synthetic biology as a system. Run the cascade.
Assembled from the Nexus Standards area profile Biological hazard standards: the hazards it names, the systems and sectors that carry the loss, the controls that dampen it and the data that observe it. Choose the components, pick an initiating hazard and step through the cascade. The Map view places the run on an example geography with open data. Every coupling weight is a stated assumption you can change. A teaching model, not a forecast, an assessment or a certification. To model a place of your own choosing, open the full System Builder.
Hazards
Systems and couplings
- Biological hazard standards
- Health risk standards Cascade
- Food and agriculture risk standards Cascade
- Biodiversity and nature risk standards Common driver
- Health security and One Health Mechanism
Controls
NS-0Constitution and principlesNS-3Risk record UNIs (grammar, legacy crosswalk, allocation authority)NS-11Verification and monitoring (evidence, attestations, zero-trust conformance observation)NRS-H41Hazard family: Animal-to-human spillover (NHS-1 health.zoonotic)NRS-H44Hazard family: Plant disease and pests (NHS-1 health.plant-health)NRS-H43Hazard family: Livestock and aquaculture epizootics (NHS-1 health.animal-health)NRS-H35Hazard family: Airborne and respiratory infection (NHS-1 health.respiratory)NRS-H40Hazard family: Blood-borne and sexually transmitted infection (NHS-1 health.bloodborne)NRS-H60Hazard family: Supply-chain and flow disruption (NHS-1 sys.supply-chain)
Observation
- WHO Disease Outbreak News (listed for reference)
- WAHIS animal health events (listed for reference)
- GBIF occurrence API and downloads (listed for reference)
- International Health Regulations capacity and health emergency preparedness
- Proportion of countries adopting relevant national legislation and adequately resourcing the prevention or control of invasive alien species
Example geography
- West Africa: 59 hexagonal cells
- Night lights tonight, outages (VIIRS Day/Night Band), NASA GIBS
How it is studied.
- 01
Technology assessment
Horizon scanning and expert elicitation assess capabilities and maturity, drawing on biotechnology platforms.
- 02
Risk assessment
Structured frameworks weigh hazard, exposure and consequence, with uncertainty expressed through probability and statistics.
- 03
Governance analysis
Comparative studies of oversight regimes, screening practices and institutional review.
- 04
Limits
Technology moves faster than evidence about its risks, expert judgement varies, and information about misuse potential must be handled with care.
How synthetic biology is modelled, measured and tested.
The model, its assumptions, its data and its uncertainty, in the form a scientist or engineer would check. Structures follow published methods. The values drawn are illustrative, not findings.
System model
The couplings between the systems in synthetic biology: signs of influence, a reinforcing and a balancing loop, and cross-links where stress jumps.
What it informs and who decides.
This evidence informs research funding conditions, screening policies, institutional review practice and regulatory design. Funders, research institutions, DNA synthesis providers and national regulators decide within their mandates. Governance dialogue is convened by Health and Biosecurity Governance at The Global Risks Forum (GRF). Related topics are biomanufacturing, dual use and ethics and laboratory biosafety and biosecurity; methods sit on biotechnology platforms and molecular and life sciences.
Published analysis on this topic is designed to carry a named subject reviewer, its references and the views of independent specialists, including biosafety professionals and those who disagree.
Where this page’s references lead.
The bodies and documents this page is read against. Status and editions change; each link goes to the issuing body.
Questions and answers.
Is synthetic biology the same as genetic engineering?
Does the platform publish design methods?
Who decides whether an engineered organism can be released?
Who reviews coverage of this topic?
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