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By Category: Research

H5N1: Why Open the Stable Door?

(Practical Ethics) Professor Paul Keim, who chairs the US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity, recently recommended the censoring of research that described the mutations which led to the transformation of the H5N1 bird-flu virus into a form that can be …

February 13, 2012
| Filed under Europe, North America, Policy & Initiatives, Public Health, and Research
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Courtagen to Partner with Tetracore in Biodefense Initiative

(Press Release) Some of the target agents include those which cause significant diseases such as anthrax and plague, as well as dangerous toxins such as ricin and botulinum. The combined effort will focus on addressing the critical need to quickly and accurately …

February 13, 2012
| Filed under North America, Countermeasures, Policy & Initiatives, and Research
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Voters Split on Expanding a Biodefense Program Beyond the Former USSR – Genetic Engineering News

Voters Split on Expanding a Biodefense Program Beyond the Former USSRGenetic Engineering NewsA recent GEN poll suggests an even split on whether Washington is wise in growing a biodefense program beyond the countries of the former Soviet Union. Equal percentages (42.9%) of respondents support and oppose the move, with 14.3% undecided.and more »

February 10, 2012
| Filed under Research
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Undetected H5N1 cases seem few, but questions persist

(CIDRAP News) The fatality rate for officially confirmed human cases of H5N1 avian influenza infection is a stunningly high 59% (345 deaths in 584 cases). But the current controversy over publishing data about transmissible H5N1 viruses has revived a debate about whether the virus is as lethal as those numbers say. Some proponents of publishing Read More »

February 10, 2012
| Filed under Asia/Pacific, Europe, North America, South Asia, Agents & Toxins, Public Health, and Research
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Researchers weigh in on ethics of H5N1 research

(Medical Xpress) In a commentary on the biosecurity controversy surrounding publication of bird flu research details, a bioethicist and a vaccine expert at Johns Hopkins reaffirm that “all scientists have an affirmative ethical obligation to avoid contributing to the advancement of biowarfare and bioterrorism,” but that there are not sufficient structures in place to evaluate Read More »