U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) recently proposed a bipartisan bill that would direct the U.S. Secretary of Energy to establish the Web of Biological Data (WOBD), a single point-of-entry for researchers to access premium biological data, especially data managed or funded by the federal government.
“High-quality, AI-ready biological data will be the foundation of future American biotechnology innovation,” Sen. Young said on Tuesday. “This bill would unleash researchers to focus on innovation while preserving existing privacy protections, and it would secure U.S. biological data from exploitation by the Chinese Communist Party.”
“This data is a strategic national resource that will prime the best and brightest in American biotechnology to launch U.S. innovation into the age of AI,” said Sen. Young.
The Web of Biological Data Act of 2026, S. 4770, is being led by Sen. Young and several colleagues, including U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Mike Rounds (R-SD). U.S. Reps. Matt Van Epps (R-TN) and Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
In its April 2025 report, the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology, which is chaired by Sen. Young, concluded that the U.S. must start treating biological data as a strategic national resource because it currently does not take a coordinated approach to managing biological data.
By contrast, China’s approach to biological data involves accessing and exploiting publicly available data from around the world, while harvesting its own isolated, domestic datasets, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Young’s staff.
If enacted, the Web of Biological Data Act would require a selected U.S. Department of Energy national lab to execute the WOBD, starting with an initial pilot focused on a preliminary set of specific biological data subtypes, cybersecurity safeguards, and research and development projects to improve the science of biological data management and curation within two years, the summary says.
The selected national lab would expand the WOBD to a fully realized single point-of-access for biological data with interoperability frameworks, quality standards, user-friendly interfaces, and mature cybersecurity requirements within five years.
The legislation has garnered support from several entities, including Indiana University, the Foundation for American Innovation, the Institute for Progress, Transfyr, the Texas Medical Center, the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Alliance, and the Science and Technology Action Committee, among others.
“As scientific developments accelerate AI capabilities, we must prioritize establishing a centralized and secure biological data infrastructure to ensure safe access to data that will drive innovation,” said Sen. Padilla.