Careers — Mirror Biology Dialogues Fund

About MBDF

Founded in 2024, the Mirror Biology Dialogues Fund (MBDF) is a nonprofit dedicated to understanding and averting future risks from “mirror life”—synthetic organisms built from mirror-image versions of the molecules that make up all natural life on Earth.

The risks of mirror bacteria were assessed in a December 2024 Science article and accompanying technical report by a working group of 38 scientists, including two Nobel laureates and 17 members of national academies. The authors concluded that the ecological and health risks of a mirror bacteria release could be unprecedented in scale and called for global discussion to ensure mirror life is never created. The analysis has since been independently reviewed by Germany’s Central Committee on Biological Safety (ZKBS), which affirmed the key risk assessments.

These concerns have received serious attention from policymakers and expert bodies. UNESCO’s International Bioethics Committee has recommended a precautionary global moratorium on mirror life. The UK government’s Chief Scientific Adviser convened a roundtable concluding that an international coalition is needed to prevent the development of mirror organisms. And at the Spirit of Asilomar summit in 2025—convened 50 years after the original Asilomar conference on recombinant DNA—participants reached broad agreement that mirror life should not be created, reinforced by an entreaty signed by 96 attendees.

MBDF is guided by members of the scientific working group and supports international conferences, workshops, and initiatives to foster constructive dialogue between scientists, policymakers, and civil society. Our goal is to facilitate productive discussion of the challenges presented by mirror life.

To learn more about mirror life and our work, we recommend:

Selected press coverage: Nature, Financial Times, Le Monde, New York Times, Die Zeit, USA Today.