TY - BOOK AU - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine A2 - Piers Millett A2 - Jo Husbands A2 - Frances Sharples A2 - Audrey Thevenon TI - Gain-of-Function Research: Summary of the Second Symposium, March 10-11, 2016 SN - DO - 10.17226/23484 PY - 2016 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/23484/gain-of-function-research-summary-of-the-second-symposium-march PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Health and Medicine AB - On March 10-11, 2016, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a public symposium on potential U.S. government policies for the oversight of gain-of- function (GOF) research. This was the Academies' second meeting held at the request of the U.S. government to provide a mechanism to engage the life sciences community and the broader public and solicit feedback on optimal approaches to ensure effective federal oversight of GOF research as part of a broader U.S. government deliberative process. The first symposium, held in December 2014, examined the underlying scientific and technical questions surrounding the potential risks and benefits of GOF research involving pathogens with pandemic potential. The second symposium focused on discussion of the draft recommendations regarding GOF research of a Working Group of the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity. This report summarizes the key issues and ideas identified during the second symposium. ER - TY - BOOK AU - Institute of Medicine AU - National Research Council TI - Globalization, Biosecurity, and the Future of the Life Sciences SN - DO - 10.17226/11567 PY - 2006 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11567/globalization-biosecurity-and-the-future-of-the-life-sciences PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Biology and Life Sciences KW - Conflict and Security Issues KW - Policy for Science and Technology AB - Biomedical advances have made it possible to identify and manipulate features of living organisms in useful ways—leading to improvements in public health, agriculture, and other areas. The globalization of scientific and technical expertise also means that many scientists and other individuals around the world are generating breakthroughs in the life sciences and related technologies. The risks posed by bioterrorism and the proliferation of biological weapons capabilities have increased concern about how the rapid advances in genetic engineering and biotechnology could enable the production of biological weapons with unique and unpredictable characteristics. Globalization, Biosecurity, and the Future of Life Sciences examines current trends and future objectives of research in public health, life sciences, and biomedical science that contain applications relevant to developments in biological weapons 5 to 10 years into the future and ways to anticipate, identify, and mitigate these dangers. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Responsible Research with Biological Select Agents and Toxins SN - DO - 10.17226/12774 PY - 2009 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12774/responsible-research-with-biological-select-agents-and-toxins PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Conflict and Security Issues KW - Biology and Life Sciences AB - The effort to understand and combat infectious diseases has, during the centuries, produced many key advances in science and medicine—including the development of vaccines, drugs, and other treatments. A subset of this research is conducted with agents that, like anthrax, not only pose a severe threat to the health of humans, plants, and animals but can also be used for ill-intended purposes. Such agents have been listed by the government as biological select agents and toxins. The 2001 anthrax letter attacks prompted the creation of new regulations aimed at increasing security for research with dangerous pathogens. The outcome of the anthrax letter investigation has raised concern about whether these measures are adequate. Responsible Research with Biological Select Agents and Toxins evaluates both the physical security of select agent laboratories and personnel reliability measures designed to ensure the trustworthiness of those with access to biological select agents and toxins. The book offers a set of guiding principles and recommended changes to minimize security risk and facilitate the productivity of research. The book recommends fostering a culture of trust and responsibility in the laboratory, engaging the community in oversight of the Select Agent Program, and enhancing the operation of the Select Agent Program. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Challenges and Opportunities for Education About Dual Use Issues in the Life Sciences SN - DO - 10.17226/12958 PY - 2011 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12958/challenges-and-opportunities-for-education-about-dual-use-issues-in-the-life-sciences PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Biology and Life Sciences KW - Education KW - Policy for Science and Technology KW - Conflict and Security Issues AB - The Challenges and Opportunities for Education About Dual Use Issues in the Life Sciences workshop was held to engage the life sciences community on the particular security issues related to research with dual use potential. More than 60 participants from almost 30 countries took part and included practicing life scientists, bioethics and biosecurity practitioners, and experts in the design of educational programs. The workshop sought to identify a baseline about (1) the extent to which dual use issues are currently being included in postsecondary education (undergraduate and postgraduate) in the life sciences; (2) in what contexts that education is occurring (e.g., in formal coursework, informal settings, as stand-alone subjects or part of more general training, and in what fields); and (3) what online educational materials addressing research in the life sciences with dual use potential already exist. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine TI - Dual Use Research of Concern in the Life Sciences: Current Issues and Controversies SN - DO - 10.17226/24761 PY - 2017 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/24761/dual-use-research-of-concern-in-the-life-sciences-current PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Policy for Science and Technology AB - The potential misuse of advances in life sciences research is raising concerns about national security threats. Dual Use Research of Concern in the Life Sciences: Current Issues and Controversies examines the U.S. strategy for reducing biosecurity risks in life sciences research and considers mechanisms that would allow researchers to manage the dissemination of the results of research while mitigating the potential for harm to national security. ER - TY - BOOK AU - Institute of Medicine AU - National Research Council A2 - Karin Matchett A2 - Anne-Marie Mazza A2 - Steven Kendall TI - Perspectives on Research with H5N1 Avian Influenza: Scientific Inquiry, Communication, Controversy: Summary of a Workshop SN - DO - 10.17226/18255 PY - 2013 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18255/perspectives-on-research-with-h5n1-avian-influenza-scientific-inquiry-communication PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Health and Medicine KW - Conflict and Security Issues AB - When, in late 2011, it became public knowledge that two research groups had submitted for publication manuscripts that reported on their work on mammalian transmissibility of a lethal H5N1 avian influenza strain, the information caused an international debate about the appropriateness and communication of the researchers' work, the risks associated with the work, partial or complete censorship of scientific publications, and dual-use research of concern in general. Recognizing that the H5N1 research is only the most recent scientific activity subject to widespread attention due to safety and security concerns, on May 1, 2012, the National Research Council's Committee on Science, Technology and Law, in conjunction with the Board on Life Sciences and the Institute of Medicine's Forum on Microbial Threats, convened a one-day public workshop for the purposes of 1) discussing the H5N1 controversy; 2) considering responses by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which had funded this research, the World Health Organization, the U.S. National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB), scientific publishers, and members of the international research community; and 3) providing a forum wherein the concerns and interests of the broader community of stakeholders, including policy makers, biosafety and biosecurity experts, non-governmental organizations, international organizations, and the general public might be articulated. Perspectives on Research with H5N1 Avian Influenza: Scientific Enquiry, Communication, Controversy summarizes the proceedings of the workshop. ER -