The federal framework intended to prevent the manufacture of dangerous genetic sequences on demand has not been revised or replaced more than a year after an executive order directed agencies to do so. That gap is drawing renewed attention now that generative AI has produced complete, functional viral genomes for the first time.
A Congressional Research Service assessment updated in July found that, as of that month, it could not determine whether the 2024 Framework for Nucleic Acid Synthesis Screening had been revised or replaced, despite a 90-day deadline set by Executive Order 14292 in May 2025. The federal screening framework page maintained by HHS still carries a notice saying it will be updated once a revised framework is available. The screening requirement established by the 2024 framework applies as a condition of federal research funding rather than as a universal legal mandate.
