Week 1 HW: Principles and Practices
1. Describe a biological engineering application or tool you want to develop and why.
I want to develop biological data storage using synthetic DNA as a medium for long-term information preservation.
The demand for data storage is accelerating rapidly. Current storage technologies, which are largely silicon-based (transistors, SSDs, HDDs, data centres), store information using the binary states of 0 and 1. The datacentres that house the world’s data require enormous quantities of energy and resources to construct and maintain, with well-documented negative environmental impacts.
DNA utilises each nucleotide—which can be one of four nitrogenous bases: adenine, thymine, cytosine, or guanine—to encode information, providing substantially higher information density. A single nucleotide measures just 0.3nm across, whilst the most advanced silicon-based transistors currently achievable are 3nm across. This allows for ten times more information units to be stored in the same physical area. Additionally, DNA’s complementary base-pairing behaviour introduces inherent error-checking redundancy, making the stored information more resilient to degradation.
2. Describe one or more governance/policy goals related to ensuring that this application or tool contributes to an “ethical” future, like ensuring non-malfeasance (preventing harm). Break big goals down into two or more specific sub-goals.
Goal A: Prevent misuse
We must make sure the DNA used to store files cannot accidentally or intentionally be used to make something harmful.
Sub-goals
- The stored DNA should not contain parts that could act like real genes (toxins, viruses, replication signals).
- Companies that manufacture DNA should check orders and keep records so harmful use can be traced if needed.
- The system should not be easy to bypass by splitting sequences into smaller pieces or hiding them inside encoded data.
Goal B: Keep the data readable in the future
DNA storage may last hundreds of years, so future people must still be able to read it.
Sub-goals
- Data should not rely on one company’s private format.
- Every stored file should include instructions explaining how to decode it.
- Public organisations (libraries, universities, archives) should be able to access and preserve it.
Goal C: Lab safety and environment
The stored DNA should behave like inert material, not biology.
Sub-goals
- The sequences should not be able to function inside living cells.
- Labs must avoid contamination when handling stored DNA.
- Disposal should safely break down the DNA so it does not persist in nature.
3. Describe at least three different potential governance “actions” by considering the four aspects below (Purpose, Design, Assumptions, Risks of Failure & “Success”).
Option 1: Expanded DNA order screening
Who: DNA manufacturing companies and regulators
Purpose
Currently, companies mainly check for known dangerous genes.
They should also check the DNA that encodes digital files.
Design
- Identify “data storage DNA” orders above a certain size
- Screen them for biological patterns
- Keep customer identity records
Assumptions
Screening software can still recognise harmful patterns even after encoding.
Risks
- People could order pieces from multiple companies to avoid checks
- Too many rules could slow research and small companies
Option 2: Open storage standard
Who: Universities, archives, standards organisations
Purpose
Avoid a future where only one company can read stored DNA.
Design
- A public format describing how data is encoded
- A small text “readme” is stored with the DNA explaining the decoding
- Independent organisations keep copies of decoding instructions
Assumptions
Institutions will maintain these records long-term.
Risks
- Companies may ignore the standard
- Standards can become outdated
Option 3: Safe-by-design encoding
Who: Engineers and researchers building the storage system
Purpose
Make the DNA biologically meaningless from the start.
Design
Avoid sequences that look like real genes, such as:
- long, readable protein sequences
- start signals for cells
- known harmful patterns
Software automatically checks this before synthesis.
Assumptions
We can reliably predict what counts as a biological function.
Risks
Future biology discoveries may find unexpected meaning in sequences.
4. Score each of your governance actions against your rubric of policy goals.
| Criteria | Option 1: Screening | Option 2: Standard | Option 3: Safe encoding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prevent misuse | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Help respond | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Lab safety | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Environmental safety | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Cost burden | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Feasibility | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Doesn’t block research | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Encourages good use | 2 | 1 | 2 |
5. Drawing upon this scoring, describe which governance option, or combination of options, you would prioritise, and why.
I would prioritise safe-by-design encoding + open standards, and use screening as an additional safeguard.
Reason:
Preventing dangerous sequences from existing is safer than only trying to detect them afterwards.
Open standards ensure the technology benefits society long-term rather than locking data behind a company.
Trade-off:
Slightly lower efficiency and slower development, but greater safety and accessibility.
Audience:
International standards organisations and public archives.
6. Reflecting on what you learned and did in class this week, outline any ethical concerns that arose, especially any that were new to you.
A key realisation for me is that biological storage turns data into a physical object that can interact with the real world.
Unlike normal files, DNA data can be copied, transported, or accidentally used in experiments.
This creates risks:
- dual-use misuse
- lab contamination
- controlled by a few companies
Possible actions
- Separate lab areas for DNA storage handling
- Public organisations storing decoding instructions
- Transparency reports describing how sequences are kept biologically safe