Biosecurity Challenges of the Global Expansion of
High-Containment Biological Laboratories
Summary of a Workshop
Alison K. Hottes, Benjamin Rusek, and Fran Sharples, Rapporteurs
Committee on Anticipating Biosecurity Challenges of the Global Expansion of High-
containment Biological Laboratories
Committee on International Security and Arms Control
Policy and Global Affairs
Board on Life Sciences
Division on Earth and Life Studies
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES AND
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, D.C.
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
This study was supported by Contract/Grant No. STAT-8740 / S-L-MAQM-08-CA-140 and STAT-6253 / S-LMAQM-09-GR-056 between the National Academy of Sciences and the United States Department of State’s Biosecurity Engagement Program. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering and Medicine
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COMMITTEE ON ANTICIPATING BIOSECURITY CHALLENGES OF THE GLOBAL
EXPANSION OF HIGH-CONTAINMENT BIOLOGICAL LABORATORIES
ADEL A. F. MAHMOUD (Chair), Princeton University
MICHAEL V. CALLAHAN, DARPA
TECK-MEAN CHUA, Asia-Pacific Biosafety Association
DAVID R. FRANZ, MRIGlobal
KATSUHISA FURUKAWA, Rebuild Japan Initiative
JENNIFER GAUDIOSO, Sandia National Laboratories, International Biological Threat Reduction
BARBARA JOHNSON, Barbara Johnson & Associates, LLC
INGEGERD KALLINGS, Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control
SERHIY KOMISARENKO, Palladin Institute of Biochemistry
JAMES W. LE DUC, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
ANWAR NASIM, Ministerial Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH)
PETER PALESE, Mount Sinai School of Medicine
J. CRAIG REED, Inspirion Biosciences
WILLY TONUI, Kenya Medical Research Institute
STAFF
ALISON HOTTES, Consultant, CISAC
BENJAMIN RUSEK, Program Officer, CISAC
FRAN SHARPLES, Director, Board on Life Sciences
HEATHER CHIARELLO, Senior Program Assistant, CISAC
JO HUSBANDS, Scholar/Senior Project Director, Board on Life Sciences
COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL SECURITY AND ARMS CONTROL
RAYMOND JEANLOZ (Chair), University of California, Berkeley
JOHN F. AHEARNE, Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society
CHRISTOPHER CHYBA, Princeton University
STEPHEN COHEN, The Brookings Institution
DAVID FRANZ, MRIGlobal
RICHARD L. GARWIN, IBM Corporation
ALASTAIR IAIN JOHNSTON, Harvard University
JAMES W. LE DUC, Galveston National Laboratory and The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
RICHARD MIES, Independent Consultant
NORMAN NEUREITER, American Association for the Advancement of Science
PETER PALESE, Mount Sinai School of Medicine
CISAC STAFF
MICAH LOWENTHAL, Director
RITA GUENTHER, Program Officer
BENJAMIN RUSEK, Program Officer
LA’FAYE LEWIS-OLIVER, Administrative Coordinator
HEATHER CHIARELLO, Senior Program Assistant
ALISON HOTTES, Christine Mirzayan Policy Fellow
BOARD ON LIFE SCIENCES
KEITH R. YAMAMOTO (Chair), University of California, San Francisco, California
BONNIE L. BASSLER, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
VICKI L. CHANDLER, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Palo Alto, California
SEAN EDDY, HHMI Janelia Farm Research Campus, Ashburn, Virginia
MARK D. FITZSIMMONS, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Chicago, Illinois
DAVID R. FRANZ, MRIGlobal, Frederick, Maryland
LOUIS J. GROSS, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee
RICHARD A. JOHNSON, Arnold and Porter (retired), Washington, DC
CATO T. LAURENCIN, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut
BERNARD LO, University of California, San Francisco, California
ROBERT M. NEREM, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
CAMILLE PARMESAN, University of Texas, Austin, Texas
MURIEL E. POSTON, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York
ALISON G. POWER, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
MARGARET RILEY, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts
BRUCE W. STILLMAN, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York
CYNTHIA WOLBERGER, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
MARY WOOLLEY, Research!America, Alexandria, Virginia
BLS STAFF
FRANCES E. SHARPLES, Director
JO L. HUSBANDS, Scholar/Senior Project Director
JAY B. LABOV, Senior Scientist/Program Director for Biology Education
KATHERINE BOWMAN, Senior Program Officer
MARILEE K. SHELTON-DAVENPORT, Senior Program Officer
INDIA HOOK-BARNARD, Program Officer
ANNA FARRAR, Financial Associate
CARL-GUSTAV ANDERSON, Program Associate
AMANDA MAZZAWI, Senior Program Assistant
SAYYEDA AYESHA AHMED, Program Assistant
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Preface and Acknowledgments
The project, Anticipating Biosecurity Challenges of the Global Expansion of High-containment Biological Laboratories, culminated in a workshop that took place in Istanbul, Turkey from July 10-13, 2011. The workshop would not have been possible without the contributions of many individuals. The members of the United States National Research Council (NRC) committee, which was chaired by Adel Mahmoud of Princeton University, offered numerous suggestions and guided the selection of the agenda, participants, and speakers. The country study writers, many of whom attended the workshop and presented their work (see Appendix E), provided invaluable assistance in advance of the workshop as the project was developed.
The committee and the National Research Council staff were fortunate to have the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA) as a partner in this endeavor. TÜBA Vice President Tarik Çelik, TÜBA member and Dean of Koç University’s School of Medicine Sevket Ruacan, and Professor Onder Ergonul of Koç University’s School of Medicine provided invaluable assistance in organizing and arranging for the participation of Turkish experts in the workshop.
We are grateful to Ayşe Selma İyisan of the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) who along with Ayşen Gargili of Marmara University, Sevil Erdenlig of MARA, and Naci Sivri of Gebze Plastic Manufacturer Organization (HTL) organized and led an informative tour of Pendik Veterinary Control and Research Institute’s new biosafety level 3 laboratory immediately following the conclusion of the workshop.
We would also like to acknowledge the contributions of those who gave presentations, chaired sessions, served as rapporteurs, and participated in discussions during the workshop as their reflections, deliberations, and insights form the foundation for this document.
This report has been prepared by the workshop rapporteurs as a factual summary of what occurred at the workshop. The planning committee’s role was limited to planning and convening the workshop. The views contained in the report are those of individual workshop participants and do not necessarily represent the views of all workshop participants, the planning committee, or the National Research Council.
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 Academies’ 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 quality and objectivity. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process.
We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report: Stuart Blacksell, Mahidol University, Thailand; Mohammed Hassar, Institut Pasteur du Maroc, Morocco; Alemka Markotic, University Hospital for Infectious Disease, Croatia; Piers Millett, United Nations Office at Geneva; Uwe Mueller-Doblies, Institute for Animal Health, UK; Alfred Sommer, Johns Hopkins University; Mark Smolinski, Skoll Global Threats Foundation; and Victoria Sutton, Texas Tech University.
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the content of the report, nor did they see the final draft before its release. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the rapporteurs and the institution.
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CONTENTS
Chapter 2 Framing the Issue (Plenary Sessions)
Chapter 3 Assessments of Needs, Challenges, and Resources (Plenary Session)
Chapter 4 Available Resources, Regulations, and Guidelines (Plenary Session)
Chapter 5 Paths from Assessments to Functional Labs (Breakout Sessions)
Chapter 7 Identifying Areas for Action (Breakout Sessions)
Chapter 8 Requirements for and Challenges Associated with BSL-4 Labs (Plenary Session)
Chapter 9 Concluding Plenary Discussion: Major Themes and Next Steps
Appendix B Committee, Participant, and Staff List
Appendix C Committee, Participant, and Staff Biographies
Appendix D Description of Tour of Pendik Veterinary Control and Research Institute
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