Rapid Proliferation of Pandemic Research: Implications for Dual-Use Risks.
Sriharshita Musunuri,Jonas B. Sandbrink,Joshua Teperowski Monrad,Joshua Teperowski Monrad,Joshua Teperowski Monrad,Megan J. Palmer,Gregory D. Koblentz +6 more
TLDR
In this article, the authors proposed a proactive approach to dual-use evaluation throughout the research life cycle, including the conception, funding, conduct, and dissemination of research, to avoid inadvertently increasing the threat of future biological events.Abstract:
The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the world's vulnerability to biological catastrophe and elicited unprecedented scientific efforts. Some of this work and its derivatives, however, present dual-use risks (i.e., potential harm from misapplication of beneficial research) that have largely gone unaddressed. For instance, gain-of-function studies and reverse genetics protocols may facilitate the engineering of concerning SARS-CoV-2 variants and other pathogens. The risk of accidental or deliberate release of dangerous pathogens may be increased by large-scale collection and characterization of zoonotic viruses undertaken in an effort to understand what enables animal-to-human transmission. These concerns are exacerbated by the rise of preprint publishing that circumvents a late-stage opportunity for dual-use oversight. To prevent the next global health emergency, we must avoid inadvertently increasing the threat of future biological events. This requires a nuanced and proactive approach to dual-use evaluation throughout the research life cycle, including the conception, funding, conduct, and dissemination of research.read more
Citations
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
Making Security Viral: Shifting Engineering Biology Culture and Publishing.
Rebecca Mackelprang,Katarzyna P. Adamala,Emily R. Aurand,James C. Diggans,Andrew D. Ellington,Samuel Weiss Evans,Jeffrey L. Fortman,Nathan J. Hillson,A Hinman,Farren J. Isaacs,June I. Medford,Shadi Mamaghani,Tae Seok Moon,Megan J. Palmer,Jean Peccoud,Elizabeth A. Vitalis,India Hook-Barnard,Douglas C. Friedman +17 more
TL;DR: Considerations are described and suggestions for enhancing security in the publication of synthetic biology research and techniques to build and support a safe and secure research enterprise that is able to maximize its positive impacts and minimize any negative outcomes.
Journal ArticleDOI
Biosecurity in an age of open science
James Smith,Jonas B. Sandbrink +1 more
TL;DR: The interaction between open science practices and biosecurity and biosafety to identify risks and opportunities for risk mitigation and to highlight the importance of oversight earlier in the research lifecycle.
Book ChapterDOI
Chapter Three Gain-of-function research
TL;DR: The term Gain-of-Function (GoF) describes the gain of new functions by organisms through genetic changes, which can naturally occur or by experimental genetic modifications as discussed by the authors , which can accelerate drug and vaccine development and to improve pandemic preparedness.
Journal ArticleDOI
Editorial: Diagnosis of zoonoses: Relevance of BSL3 and BSL4 facilities
TL;DR: Berger and Garbuglia as mentioned in this paper published an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) under the assumption that the original author(s) and the copyright owners are credited and the original publication in this journal is cited.
References
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
A new coronavirus associated with human respiratory disease in China.
Fan Wu,Su Zhao,Bin Yu,Yan-Mei Chen,Wen Wang,Zhi gang Song,Yi Hu,Zhao Wu Tao,Jun Hua Tian,Yuan Yuan Pei,Ming Li Yuan,Yu Ling Zhang,Fa Hui Dai,Yi Liu,Qi Min Wang,Jiao Jiao Zheng,Lin Xu,Edward C. Holmes,Edward C. Holmes,Yong-Zhen Zhang,Yong-Zhen Zhang +20 more
TL;DR: Phylogenetic and metagenomic analyses of the complete viral genome of a new coronavirus from the family Coronaviridae reveal that the virus is closely related to a group of SARS-like coronaviruses found in bats in China.
Journal ArticleDOI
Airborne transmission of influenza A/H5N1 virus between ferrets
Sander Herfst,Eefje J. A. Schrauwen,Martin Linster,Salin Chutinimitkul,Emmie de Wit,Vincent J. Munster,Erin M. Sorrell,Theo M. Bestebroer,David F. Burke,Derek J. Smith,Derek J. Smith,Derek J. Smith,Guus F. Rimmelzwaan,Albert D. M. E. Osterhaus,Ron A. M. Fouchier +14 more
TL;DR: Avian A/H5N1 influenza viruses can acquire the capacity for airborne transmission between mammals without recombination in an intermediate host and therefore constitute a risk for human pandemic influenza.
Journal ArticleDOI
Experimental adaptation of an influenza H5 HA confers respiratory droplet transmission to a reassortant H5 HA/H1N1 virus in ferrets
Masaki Imai,Tokiko Watanabe,Masato Hatta,Subash C. Das,Makoto Ozawa,Makoto Ozawa,Kyoko Shinya,Gongxun Zhong,Anthony Hanson,Hiroaki Katsura,Shinji Watanabe,Chengjun Li,Eiryo Kawakami,Shinya Yamada,Maki Kiso,Yasuo Suzuki,Eileen A. Maher,Gabriele Neumann,Yoshihiro Kawaoka +18 more
TL;DR: Results indicate that H5 HA can convert to an HA that supports efficient viral transmission in mammals, and will help individuals conducting surveillance in regions with circulating H5N1 viruses to recognize key residues that predict the pandemic potential of isolate, which will inform the development, production and distribution of effective countermeasures.
Journal ArticleDOI
Efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 Covid-19 Vaccine against the B.1.351 Variant.
Shabir A. Madhi,Vicky L Baillie,Clare L. Cutland,Merryn Voysey,Anthonet Koen,Lee Fairlie,S. D. Padayachee,Keertan Dheda,S. L. Barnabas,Q. E. Bhorat,C. Briner,Gaurav Kwatra,K. Ahmed,P. Aley,Sutika Bhikha,Jinal N. Bhiman,A. ' E. Bhorat,Plessis, J. du, Esmail, A.,M. Groenewald +18 more
TL;DR: In this article, the safety and efficacy of vaccines against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in different populations is evaluated in different countries.
Journal ArticleDOI
A SARS-like cluster of circulating bat coronaviruses shows potential for human emergence
Vineet D. Menachery,Boyd Yount,Kari Debbink,Sudhakar Agnihothram,Lisa E. Gralinski,Jessica A. Plante,Rachel L. Graham,Trevor Scobey,Xing Yi Ge,Eric F. Donaldson,Scott H. Randell,Antonio Lanzavecchia,Wayne A. Marasco,Zhengli Li Shi,Ralph S. Baric +14 more
TL;DR: A potential risk of SARS-CoV re-emergence from viruses currently circulating in bat populations is suggested, and robust viral replication both in vitro and in vivo is demonstrated.
Related Papers (5)
Post COVID-19: a solution scan of options for preventing future zoonotic epidemics.
Silviu O. Petrovan,David C. Aldridge,Harriet Bartlett,Andrew J. Bladon,Hollie Booth,Steven Broad,Donald M. Broom,Neil D. Burgess,Sarah Cleaveland,Andrew A. Cunningham,Maurizio Ferri,Amy Hinsley,Fangyuan Hua,Alice C. Hughes,Kate E. Jones,Moira Kelly,George Mayes,Milorad Radakovic,Chinedu A Ugwu,Nasir Uddin,Diogo Veríssimo,Christian Walzer,Thomas B. White,James L. N. Wood,William J. Sutherland +24 more