The head of Rospotrebnadzor spoke about the dangers of synthetic biology

Rospotrebnadzor has reviewed approaches to combat new risks, including the development of synthetic biology, which is engaged in the design and creation of biological systems with specified properties and functions. This was announced on September 15 by the head of the department, Anna Popova, during a videoconference with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Technology is developing very fast and the world is changing rapidly, and we see new risks. The risks that are associated with the development of synthetic biology," she said.

According to Popova, among the new threats, Rospotrebnadzor also sees the emergence of new infections and the spread of existing ones to regions where they did not exist before. In addition, the agency is concerned about the reaction of countries unfriendly to Russia to these processes.

The head of Rospotrebnadzor said that in response to these challenges, 124 new tests have been created in the country, which make it possible to detect infection in just one hour. This significantly speeds up the response to epidemiological threats. Currently, there are 154 research centers in Russia, including 54 centers for sequencing (determining the sequence of nucleotides in DNA or RNA molecules).

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On August 23, Popova reported 384 cases of infection with a new variant of coronavirus "Stratus" in the Russian Federation, and also added that the number is growing. She clarified that the fact that the new strain is more contagious is due to the need for it to change and acquire new properties.

Later, on September 15, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), epidemiologist Gennady Onishchenko said that the new strain of coronavirus Stratus, despite its high contagiousness, would not lead to a new pandemic. He clarified that the pandemic has ended, but the virus has continued to spread among people. Therefore, as Onishchenko emphasized, it is necessary to preserve one's health by observing preventive measures.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.