1918 | Outbreak of “Spanish” flu (H1N1) |
1957 | Outbreak of “Asian” flu (H2N2) |
1968 | Outbreak of “Hong Kong” flu (H3N2) |
1971 | Seattle Crown Gall Group begins exploring bacterium-to-plant transmissible plasmid. |
1972 | Draft of Biological Weapons Convention text |
1973 | Recombinant DNA methodologies in place |
1974 | Moratorium on recombinant DNA |
1975 | Asilomar Conference on Recombinant DNA |
1975 | Biological Weapons Convention established |
1976 | National Institutes of Health (NIH) issues initial guidelines for research involving recombinant DNA. |
1980 | In Diamond v. Chakrabarty, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that “a live, human-made micro-organism is patentable subject matter.” |
1981 | Ability to reverse engineer a plus/positive-strand RNA virus (poliovirus) |
1982 | Publication of National Research Council (NRC) report Scientific Communication and National Security (aka the Corson Report) |
1985 | National Security Decision Directive-189 (NSDD-189) released |
1990 | Ability to reverse engineer a negative strand RNA animal virus |
2004 | Publication of NRC report Biotechnology Research in an Age of Terrorism (aka the Fink Report) |
2005 | First meeting of the National Science Advisory Board on Biosecurity (NSABB) |
2006 | Publication of NRC report Globalization, Biosecurity, and the Future of the Life Sciences |
2006-2007 | Ability to reverse engineer double-stranded RNA viruses |
2007 | Publication of NSABB’s “Proposed Framework for the Oversight of Dual Use Life Sciences Research: Strategies for Minimizing the Potential Misuse of Research” Publication of NRC report Science and Security in a Post-9/11 World |
2009 | Outbreak of “swine” flu (H1N1) |
2011 | Publication of NSABB’s “Recommendations on Communications of Experimental Adaptation of Avian Influenza A/H5N1” Publication of World Health Organization’s (WHO) “Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework” 7th Review Conference, Biological Weapons Convention |
December 20 | Publication of National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) “Press Statement on the NSABB Review of H5N1 Research” (see Appendix B) |
2012 | |
January 20 | Publication of “NIH Statement on H5N1” (see Appendix B) |
January 31 | Publication of NSABB statement “Adaptations of Avian Flu Virus Are a Cause For Concern” (see Appendix B) |
February | Publication of WHO’s “Report on Technical Consultation on H5N1 Research Issues” (see Appendix B) |
March 29 | Publication of “United States Government Policy for Oversight of Life Sciences Dual Use Research of Concern” (see Appendix B) |
March 30 | Publication of NSABB “Findings and Recommendations” (see Appendix B) |
April 14 | Publication of NIH’s “Statement on NSABB’s March 30, 2012 Recommendations to NIH on H5N1 Research” (see Appendix B) |
April 20 | Publication of NIH’s “Statement by NIH Director Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., on the NSABB Review of Revised H5N1 Manuscripts” (See Appendix B) |
May 2 | Publication of the Kawaoka paper (see Appendix C) |
June 22 | Publication of the Fouchier paper (see Appendix C) |