Federal officials on Tuesday ended a moratorium imposed 3 years ago on funding research that alters germs to make them more lethal. Such work can now proceed, said Francis Collins, MD, the head of NIH, but only if a scientific panel decides that the benefits justify the risks. A government panel will require that researchers show that their studies in this area are scientifically sound and that they will be done in a high-security lab. Some scientists are eager to pursue these studies because they could, for example, yield clues to making a better vaccine.
The pathogen to be modified must pose a serious health threat, and the work must produce knowledge — such as a vaccine — that would benefit humans. There also must be no safer way to do the research. “We see this as a rigorous policy,” Collins said. “We want to be sure we’re doing this right.” The new regulations apply to any pathogen that could potentially cause a pandemic., such as a request to create an Ebola virus transmissible through the air.
New York Times (12/20/17) McNeil, Donald