US warns of bioweapon threat from gene assembly

GENEVA (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has warned of the potential that new gene assembly technology could be used by terrorist to create biological weapons.

Clinton says the emerging gene synthesis industry offers benefits to researchers "but it could also potentially be used to assemble the components of a deadly organism."

The U.S. government has cited efforts by terror groups like al-Qaeda to develop biological weapons as a national security concern.

Clinton spoke Wednesday at meeting in Geneva aimed at reviewing the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention.