In the latest gain-of-function (GOF) research news, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has allowed five such studies involving a mouse model for MERS-CoV and two influenza studies to continue after a 2-month moratorium, NPR reported today.
One mBio editorial defends federal pause, while another calls its language too vague.
After several weeks with no new reports of enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) respiratory infections, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported 28 more illnesses, raising the national count since August to 1,149 cases in 48 states and Washington, DC. But an official said the agency is not aware of any new case clusters.
The committee that advises the federal government on biosecurity and dual-use research today approved a statement detailing its concerns about the US government moratorium on funding for "gain-of-function" (GOF) studies on influenza, MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus), and SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome).
A 2-year serology study using stringent criteria found antibodies to H5N1 avian flu in 2.1% of Egyptians exposed to poultry, a finding that National Institutes of Health (NIH) officials said demonstrates that the virus poses a low pandemic risk.
The national tally of confirmed enterovirus 68 (EV-D68) cases has jumped by 32, to 973, and the count of unexplained and possibly related neurologic-illnesses has increased to 51, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported today.
The Obama administration announced today that it is suspending funding of "gain-of-function" (GOF) studies on influenza and other viruses to allow time to assess the risks and benefits of such controversial research and develop a federal policy on it.
The new policy, which calls on scientists to flag their own experiments as DURC, was met with mixed reviews.
Two leading experts urge both sides in the debate to keep an open mind and to set up a conference.
Journal editors call for specific steps, while the ASM said it wants the NAS to weigh the risks and benefits.