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By Category: Policy & Initiatives

Flu Studies Eliminated Impediment to Spread: Biodefense Board Leader

(Global Security Newswire) The head of a U.S. biodefense panel on Tuesday said two teams of scientists had demonstrated how to defeat a naturally occurring impediment to the spread of the avian flu virus, creating the potential for a disastrous pandemic in the event of a modified pathogen's mistaken or deliberate transfer into the environment, Read More »

February 2, 2012
| Filed under North America, Policy & Initiatives, and Research
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TGen-NAU professor leads national panel in precedent-setting policy published in Science and Nature

(The Translational Genomics Research Institute) The US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity today published a precedent-setting policy statement warning about the “unusually high magnitude” risk from unrestricted publication of avian flu research.

February 2, 2012
| Filed under North America, Policy & Initiatives, and Research
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Recommendation to censor bird flu research driven by fears of terrorism

(Washington Post) Citing fears of an “unimaginable catastrophe,” a government-appointed board on Tuesday explained why it recently recommended censoring details of new research on deadly H5N1, or avian, influenza. “Our concern is that publishing these experiments in …

February 2, 2012
| Filed under Europe, North America, Policy & Initiatives, and Research
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Policy: Adaptations of avian flu virus are a cause for concern

(Nature.com) Members of the US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity explain its recommendations on the communication of experimental work on H5N1 influenza. We are in the midst of a revolutionary period in the life sciences.

February 2, 2012
| Filed under Europe, North America, Policy & Initiatives, and Research
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U.S. Cuts Spending Allowances for Biological, Chemical Defense Programs

(Global Security Newswire) A recently enacted U.S. defense authorization bill reduces finances available for a number of biological and chemical defense initiatives in keeping with setbacks to some of the efforts, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News reported last week. The legislation lowers the funding allowance for the Defense Department’s Chemical and Biological Defense Program to Read More »