DHHS to appoint new advisory board on safeguarding biological research
The federal government plans to establish a 25-member advisory board
to counsel agencies on safeguarding biological research that could inadvertently
be useful to terrorists. The board, which will be appointed by the Secretary
of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), will be managed
by the National Institutes of Health and made up of experts in molecular
biology, infectious diseases, and food production, among other fields.
It will recommend specific strategies for the oversight of federally
financed biological research, taking into account national security
and the needs of scientists.
The need for additional oversight by a board under the direction of
NIH was a key recommendation of a report in October by the National
Research Council on screening research that might help terrorists. The
responsibilities of the new board will include advising on guidelines
for local and federal oversight of biological research, advising on
strategies to work with scholarly journals to develop guidelines on
publishing potentially sensitive research, and providing guidance on
mandatory education programs for scientists and laboratory workers at
institutions with federal grants.
Source: Chronicle of Higher Education, March 5, 2004
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