The leading biologists have sounded the alarm-a warning against inventing synthetic mirror cells, that are constructed from reverse-handed DNA and proteins. They called upon a ban on any innovation out of fear that it could unleash a pandemic uncontrollable in severity, agriculturally destructive, and ecologically ruinous.
The dangers were detailed in a 299-page technical report from a panel of 38 experts, including Nobel laureate Jack W. Szostak. “Mirror cells would evade natural barriers to life and thus be impervious to all current systems for detection and containment,” they wrote in a commentary accompanying the report in Science.
It would also, more fundamentally, contradict the asymmetry of life on Earth-a concept deeply embedded in synthetic biology. Whereas all life forms on Earth depend on a certain orientation of DNA and proteins, mirror cells utilize opposite configurations. As fantastic as this may sound, scientists have already succeeded in creating mirror proteins; whole cells should be synthesized within several decades.
The risks from mirror cells are huge. In contrast with naturally occurring pathogens, such cells would not stimulate immune responses; thus, infections would be insidious and unstoppable. Antibiotics developed against conventional microbes would have no effect, and the risk that mirror bacteria might spread unchecked in humans, animals, plants, and ecosystems could yield unparalleled destruction.
A major concern is that once released, mirror cells could come to dominate ecosystems by outcompeting natural organisms. Immune to predation and incapable of degradation by natural enzymes, these cells could wreak havoc on the food chain, threatening global biodiversity.
The scientific community is reacting with caution. Biologist Kevin Esvelt from MIT and others call for a moratorium on the research of mirror cells to avoid misuse or accidental release. Many of the researchers studying mirror cells, including synthetic biologist Kate Adamala, have pledged to halt experiments and push for international regulations.
Although some say that mirror cells could also provide medical benefits, powerful new drugs, for instance, experts like Dr. Ruslan Medzhitov of Yale caution against it, saying the risks dramatically outweigh any benefit. Plans are in place for wider discussions in 2025 on the ethical and safety implications of such research.
Filippa Lentzos, a biosecurity expert at King’s College London, said the scientists’ move to hit the brakes was a model for responsible scientific conduct.
