He said that fears of developing genetic engineering almost led to its prohibition in certain areas of research in the 1970s.
"One can easily imagine the harmful consequences to which a ban might have led... Research has led to enormously beneficial discoveries related to our health and well-being," Breyer said.
Shirley S. Abrahamson, chair of the National Commission on the Future of DNA Evidence, said she was pleased by the success of the conference.
"It accomplished all of its goals... bringing people from all over the country and around the world to discuss issues relating to DNA," Abrahamson said.
Breyer was a professor at Harvard Law School and the Kennedy School of Government before he took his seat on the Supreme Court in 1994.