H5N1 News and Research

Latest H5N1 News and Research

NIH responds to criticism over handling of controversial bird flu studies

In a letter dated April 25, Amy Patterson, associate director for science policy in the office of the director of the National Institutes of Health, "has refuted criticism of the way a meeting held to allow a biosecurity advisory group to review controversial bird flu studies was handled," denying "the agenda was crafted to achieve a predetermined outcome," the Canadian Press/Winnipeg Free Press writes.

7 May 2012

Nature publishes first of two controversial studies on H5N1 avian flu

"In a long-awaited study that helped prompt a contentious debate over the wisdom of conducting research that has the potential to help as well as harm, scientists reported Wednesday that they had engineered a mutant strain of [H5N1] bird flu that can spread easily between ferrets -- a laboratory animal that responds to flu viruses much as people do," the Los Angeles Times (Brown, 5/3).

4 May 2012

One of the controversial avian flu studies published in full finally

After endless debates and controversies on whether two studies that demonstrated how bird flu, also known as avian H5N1 influenza, or avian flu, should be published, one of them has appeared in the latest issue of the journal Nature in its entirety. The two studies aimed for publication in journals Nature and Science show how the bird flu virus could become transmissible from mammal-to-mammal; as humans are mammals, the same would apply to humans.

4 May 2012

U.S. to ask university officials how best to implement new DURC policy

"The U.S. government will soon be asking university officials to comment on how best to implement recently released dual use research rules at the university level," according to Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), who spoke Monday at a workshop sponsored by the National Academies in Washington, ScienceInsider reports.

3 May 2012

Flu paper publication amidst threats of bioterrorism raises need for better rules of censorship

According to the editor of the scientific journal Nature, Dr Philip Campbell current procedures to assess and censor medical research potentially of use to terrorists need to be improved. He was speaking about the recent controversy regarding the bird flu virus H5N1 study. The study was initially stopped from publication fearing risk of bioterrorism. He was speaking to BBC News.

2 May 2012

'Mandatory oversight' of potentially dangerous biological research will be necessary

"In the sobering annals of disaster prevention, genetic manipulation of the H5N1 influenza virus is looming as a seminal case," John Steinbruner, director of the Center for International Security Studies at the University of Maryland, writes in an opinion piece in The Hill's "Congress Blog," noting that two "laboratory experiments have rendered the highly virulent avian strain transmissible among ferrets, strongly suggesting that it would be transmissible among humans as well."

2 May 2012

Dutch government grants export license allowing publication of controversial H5N1 study

"The Dutch government has agreed to grant an export license to allow Ron Fouchier, a virologist at the Erasmus Medical University in Rotterdam, to publish his work on H5N1 avian influenza in Science," Nature's "News Blog" reports (Owens, 4/27). "

30 Apr 2012

Senate committee questions federal officials about dual-use research of concern procedures

"Spurred by events surrounding two controversial H5N1 transmission studies, a U.S. Senate committee [on Thursday] questioned federal officials whose agencies have a stake in dual-use research of concern (DURC) about the procedures they use to spot possible bioterror threats," CIDRAP News reports.

27 Apr 2012

Funders should follow lead of U.S. in creating policies for scientific research oversight

"The controversy over the research into the genetic modification of the H5N1 flu virus, finally approved for publication, should offer a reminder of the importance of debate" over dual-use technology, a Nature editorial states.

27 Apr 2012

U.S. government must be prepared to handle dual use research of concern

"This week, a Senate panel is investigating biological security in the wake of" controversial "potentially dangerous research" on H5N1 avian influenza, "with good reason," Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.) writes in a Washington Times opinion piece.

26 Apr 2012

Rep. Sensenbrenner sends second letter inquiring about U.S. government's review of controversial H5N1 studies

"A senior Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives is asking more questions about how the U.S. government reviewed two controversial H5N1 avian influenza studies, and how it wrote a new policy for reviewing taxpayer-funded studies that might be used for good and evil," ScienceInsider reports.

25 Apr 2012

U.S. gives go-ahead on publication of H5N1 research; Dutch regulators continue to debate

The U.S. government on Friday formally accepted a recommendation from the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) "to publish two controversial studies of the H5N1 avian influenza virus, moving the pair of papers another step closer to publication," ScienceInsider reports.

24 Apr 2012

NSABB calls for global guidelines for conducting, communicating research involving dangerous pathogens

NewScientist reports on the U.S. National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity's (NSABB) recommendation that revised versions of two controversial studies on H5N1 avian flu be published in scientific journals, reversing its previous recommendation that the studies only be published if certain details were withheld. According to the news service, dissent among the board members over the issue has prompted the committee to "propose talks to draft global guidelines for doing and communicating work involving dangerous pathogens."

20 Apr 2012

White House science adviser responds to inquiry regarding handling of H5N1 research controversy

"White House science adviser John Holdren has replied to questions asked last month by Representative Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.) about how the Obama Administration has handled the controversy surrounding two studies that showed how to make the H5N1 avian influenza virus transmissible between mammals," ScienceInsider reports.

19 Apr 2012

Financial Times analysis examines efforts to address dual risk research

A Financial Times analysis examines how the international community is working "to ensure scientific work can proceed without falling prey to accidental leaks or malevolent intent," following controversy surrounding two studies on the H5N1 bird flu virus.

12 Apr 2012

2-day meeting examining issues of censorship of scientific studies leaves questions unanswered

A two-day Royal Society meeting held this week in London -- which examined "whether scientific journals should occasionally publish censored versions of papers because the full ones might prove useful to terrorists" -- "brought scientists no closer to resolving the question of whether there are any kinds of experiments whose results should be kept from the public," the Washington Post reports.

6 Apr 2012

Discussion of NSABB recommendation to publish controversial bird flu studies to continue in London meeting

The National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity's (NSABB) "reversal on publishing two controversial H5N1 studies is poised to shift discussions on the topic that continue in London this week, as more participants in the debate weigh in following the March 30 announcement," CIDRAP News reports.

4 Apr 2012

NSABB recommends full publication of controversial bird flu studies

The National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) on Friday recommended that revised versions of two controversial studies on H5N1 avian flu be published in scientific journals, reversing its previous recommendation that the studies only be published if certain details were withheld, the New York Times reports.

3 Apr 2012

Controversial study on lethal bird flu virus strain to be published

The controversial study on lethal flu virus strain is likely to be published in full. Last December the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity - NSABB recommended the two papers not be published in full by the journals - Nature and Science. The panel was concerned that details of the studies, which induced mutations in the H5N1 avian flu virus that made it transmissible among mammals by air rather than by close physical contact, could be used for bioterrorism. Critics of the recommendation raised fears that important science was being censored.

2 Apr 2012

NanoViricides reports positive pre-IND meeting with USFDA for FluCide

NanoViricides, Inc. announced today that its previously announced pre-IND Meeting was held with the USFDA on March 29th, 2012, as scheduled. This pre-IND meeting focused on FluCide, designated as NV-INF-1, the Company's novel anti-influenza drug.

2 Apr 2012

H5N1 News and Research

Latest H5N1 News and Research

NIH responds to criticism over handling of controversial bird flu studies

Nature publishes first of two controversial studies on H5N1 avian flu

One of the controversial avian flu studies published in full finally

U.S. to ask university officials how best to implement new DURC policy

Flu paper publication amidst threats of bioterrorism raises need for better rules of censorship

'Mandatory oversight' of potentially dangerous biological research will be necessary

Dutch government grants export license allowing publication of controversial H5N1 study

Senate committee questions federal officials about dual-use research of concern procedures

Funders should follow lead of U.S. in creating policies for scientific research oversight

U.S. government must be prepared to handle dual use research of concern

Rep. Sensenbrenner sends second letter inquiring about U.S. government's review of controversial H5N1 studies

U.S. gives go-ahead on publication of H5N1 research; Dutch regulators continue to debate

NSABB calls for global guidelines for conducting, communicating research involving dangerous pathogens

White House science adviser responds to inquiry regarding handling of H5N1 research controversy

Financial Times analysis examines efforts to address dual risk research

2-day meeting examining issues of censorship of scientific studies leaves questions unanswered

Discussion of NSABB recommendation to publish controversial bird flu studies to continue in London meeting

NSABB recommends full publication of controversial bird flu studies

Controversial study on lethal bird flu virus strain to be published

NanoViricides reports positive pre-IND meeting with USFDA for FluCide

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