Ahead of its upcoming meeting, the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) has posted a draft of a working group's recommendations to guide federal officials in evaluating proposed gain-of-function (GOF) studies on H5N1 flu and other dangerous pathogens, and an outside company tasked with crafting a risk-benefit analysis of GOF research has posted its final report.
Experts offer approaches for moving the GOF conundrum forward that are not mutually exclusive, such as lifting the moratorium, seeking international consensus, and establishing a review board.
The next step in the deliberations is a 2-day National Academies of Science symposium in March.
Some topics: weighing risks and benefits, ethical issues, and global involvement.
The analysis is a key part of a federal review of controversial studies on H5N1 and other pathogens.
Health plans in general are doing a poor job at raising human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination levels in adolescent girls, according to researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and their collaborators at Princeton University. The team published its findings in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
The NSABB plans to release final recommendations in spring 2016.
The CDC proposes adding certain H5N1 viruses to HHS's select agent list; experts have varied reactions.
A new botulinum toxin can be blocked using available antitoxins, a new study says.
Two biosecurity experts who have called for civil debate and mutual understanding surrounding dual-use research of concern (DURC) issues yesterday proposed a framework for moving forward.
