Experts at House hearing urge mandatory gene‑synthesis screening, stronger data protections and 'bio‑threat radar'

Congressional witnesses on Wednesday urged lawmakers to pair innovation with new safeguards as artificial intelligence expands the capabilities of biotechnology.

At a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee hearing, Dr. Jassy Panu of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security recommended three specific steps: empower the U.S. Center for AI Standards and Innovation (``Casey'') to define the narrow set of biological AI models that could cause societal‑level harm; direct the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to build a biological data‑security framework; and pass legislation to make gene‑synthesis screening universal across providers. "First, Congress should empower Casey to define the narrow set of biological AI models that could pose societal‑level harms if misused," Panu said in her opening testimony.

Industry witnesses described the technical challenges that motivate those proposals. James Diggins, Twist Bioscience's vice president for policy and biosecurity, outlined the company’s existing sequence and customer screening procedures and warned that current oversight focuses on known organisms rather than the functions of novel proteins. "We don't feel [current regulations] are [adequate]," Diggins told lawmakers, arguing that mandatory, uniform screening and new function‑based detection models are needed.

Matthew McKnight of Ginkgo Bioworks emphasized detection as a strategic priority, describing a national-scale "bio threat radar" built on genomic sequencing that could provide earlier warning and attribution of biological threats. "The missing component of our national security infrastructure is actually our ability to do large‑scale detection of biothreats," McKnight said, urging federal investment and international partnerships.

Witnesses and members converged on the need to protect sensitive biological datasets, with several urging that certain sequence data be restricted from anonymous public access while still enabling legitimate research. Panu said OSTP and agencies responsible for biosafety modernization should coordinate to ensure AI‑enabled research is addressed in federal biosafety policy.

The committee reserved follow‑up oversight and asked witnesses to submit written answers; members have 10 business days to submit additional questions for the record. The hearing did not produce new legislation but put a legislative path in focus: mandatory gene‑synthesis screening, stronger data protections, and investment in detection capabilities.

The subcommittee also paused consideration of a separate subpoena motion during floor votes; the hearing resumed and members continued questioning on technical and policy details.