This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:

Thomas C. Caskey, Cogene Biotech Ventures, L.P.

Marc S. Collett, Viropharma, Inc.

Jane E. Henney, University of Cincinnati

Neal Nathanson, University of Pennsylvania

Richard Moyer, University of Florida School of Medicine

Vickey Sato, Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Peter Palese, Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Paula Traktman, Medical College of Wisconsin

Although the reviewers listed above have provided constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Floyd Bloom of The Scripps Research Institute. Appointed by the National Research Council, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.

We would like to extend our gratitude to the many individuals who contributed to the development of this report, including those who attended the June 15-16, 2003 workshop on Transforming Biological Information into New Therapies: Smallpox Antivirals. In addition, we would like to thank Adel Mahmoud, Merck, Inc., David Bloom, Harvard School of Public Health, and Eugene Cordes, Concentric Pharmaceuticals, for their useful insights.