Tagged With: dual-use
How safe is pathogen research?
By Michael Wood, policy intern at the Royal Society of Biology and the Biochemical Society Despite extensive vaccinations programmes and improved sanitation, communicable diseases that are caused by pathogens are still responsible for 20% of global deaths. Although an improvement from the figure of 25% in 1990, this still represents 11 million deaths annually which … Continue reading
Policy Lates: Dodging a Biological Bullet
The Society’s latest Policy Lates event ‘Dodging a Biological Bullet: What can we learn from the US and Europe about Biosecurity?’ saw international experts come together to discuss what should be done about dual-use research, which has the potential to be misused for harmful purposes. For an introduction to dual-use and biosecurity read ‘Dual-use for … Continue reading
What are we pausing?
Michael J Imperiale is professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Michigan Gain-of-function studies, as the name implies, are experiments in which a new biological behaviour is conferred upon an existing virus e.g. the ability to be transmitted between mammals in the case of the bird flu virus, H5N1. Earlier this month, the … Continue reading
Dual-use for Dummies
Dr Supatra Marsh, BBSRC Policy Fellow at the Society of Biology, is organising Policy Lates: Dodging a biological bullet – what can we learn from the US and Europe about Biosecurity? During my BBSRC science policy fellowship at the Society of Biology I have been organising the next Policy Lates event focussing on dual-use research. … Continue reading
The misuse of research – join the debate
Malcolm Dando (right), Professor of International Security at the University of Bradford, is Chair of our upcoming Policy Lates debate on research which has the potential to be misuse. People can come to a discussion on the problem of dual-use scientific work with very different perspectives. So there is good reason to expect a lively … Continue reading