The gene therapy field holds tremendous promise of curing or preventing a myriad of diseases. Gene therapy is by nature translational, and investigators in the field are committed to the betterment of human, animal, and plant health. Indeed, most researchers in the biological sciences would like to see their research results put to beneficent use. Unfortunately, not all humans are similarly driven; there are nefarious individuals who would rather do harm than good. Some of these individuals will use a gun, or develop an improvised explosive device, or spread computer viruses over the Internet. There are also those who would use biological agents to inflict harm on others. For example, the Rajneeshee cult tried to fix the results of an election in Oregon in 1984 by contaminating salad bars with Salmonella enterica. Perhaps most chilling, given its timing, was the distribution in 2001 of Bacillus anthracis spores through the US Postal Service on the heels of the September 11 attacks.