"The US Government (USG)..has an extraordinary obligation to ensure..USG funding or approval is not given to work that may cause an epidemic or pandemic, as well as to provide international leadership in this realm"
science.org
science.org
"It is vital to get these policies right, not only for the US, but to inspire policy development in other countries with growing life science and biotechnology sectors."
"Resetting US policy on these issues is a pressing need, as is international convergence around strong, effective governance of this area of science."
"The USG should make clear that..review processes must evaluate the risk and potential consequences of accidents, and the potential for deliberate theft of an isolate or insider diversion, as well as the risk that information from..research could be used in ways leading to..harm"
"When the results of an accident or deliberate misuse could lead to epidemic or pandemic consequences, critical questions asked..should include the following:...."
"....Will the..research directly result in new approaches that..diminish the..consequences or harms of this pathogen? How critical is the information that would be gained by the proposed experiments, and are there safer ways of attaining comparable information?"
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