Biologists Are Engineering Kill Switches for GM Microbes

December 8, 2015

(Wired) – In the 21st century, where scientists are as likely to engineer microbes as locomotives, “Deadman” is a kill switch created by MIT biologists to prevent engineered microbes from running out of control in the wild. Deadman and another microbial kill switch called Passcode are the newest of the increasingly sophisticated ways biologists hope to control microbes they’re building to cure diseases or clean up oil and toxic spills. Without those controls, the bugs will never leave the lab.