The synthesis of more infectious and lethal pathogens in the laboratory is possible from a technical point of view, but it involves extremely high ethical risks, biosafety disputes, and strict international regulation. The following is an analysis of the scientific, ethical and safety aspects of this issue： --- ### **1. Technical feasibility** - **Gene editing technology**: Modern synthetic biology and gene editing tools (such as CRISPR-Cas9) enable scientists to modify the gene sequence of a pathogen to enhance its infectivity or toxicity. For example： -**H5N1 avian influenza virus**: In 2011, scientists genetically modified the H5N1 virus to achieve airborne transmission in ferrets, sparking a global controversy over “functional acquired research” (GoFR). -**New crown virus research**: The spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 was modified in the laboratory to study its cross-species transmission potential. -**Synthetic viruses**: Studies have successfully synthesized viruses (such as polio virus and horse pox virus) from scratch, indicating that it is technically feasible to synthesize pathogens completely artificially. --- ### **2. Potential risks** -**Biosafety threats**: Enhancing the infectivity or lethality of pathogens may lead to laboratory leaks or even malicious use (biological terrorism). -**Unpredictability**: Genetic modification may have unintended consequences, such as enhanced pathogens that may break through the protection of existing vaccines or drugs. -**Dual-purpose dilemma**: Scientific experiments (such as GoFR) designed to study the mechanism of virus transmission may simultaneously provide a technical path for the manufacture of biological weapons. --- ### **3. Ethics and Regulation** -**International Conventions**: The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) expressly prohibits the development, production or stockpiling of biological weapons, but some research is still in a gray area. -**Research specification**： -**Risk assessment**: Experiments involving highly pathogenic pathogens need to undergo a multi-level biosafety review (such as BSL-3/4 laboratory). -**Transparency controversy**: Some research details may not be disclosed to the public due to security reasons, which raises concerns about research transparency in the scientific community. - **Ethical controversy**: Does the benefits of enhancing pathogen research outweigh the disadvantages? For example, studying the mechanism of virus transmission can help in vaccine development, but it can also be abused. --- ### **4. Current restrictions** -**Technical bottleneck**: The synthesis of complex pathogens (such as smallpox virus) still requires highly specialized knowledge and resources. -**Monitoring and Defense**: The international community restricts the synthesis of suspicious gene sequences through the global pathogen surveillance network (such as GISAID) and the screening mechanism of gene synthesis companies. --- ###**Conclusion** Although it is technically possible to synthesize more threatening pathogens, such research is subject to **strict international regulation and ethical review**. The consensus of the scientific community is that such research must be conducted under the premise of transparency, safety, and public interest orientation, and its potential risks must be controlled through global cooperation and multilateral agreements. The stronger the human ability to transform pathogens, the corresponding biosafety governance and responsibility framework needs to be upgraded simultaneously.