ANN ARBOR, MI - Michael J. Imperiale, Ph.D., professor of microbiology and immunology at the U-M Medical School and chair of the U-M's Institutional Biosafety Committee, has been appointed to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity.

Michael J. Imperiale, Ph.D.

Imperiale, along with 23 other voting-member scientists and individuals involved in biosecurity, began his four-year term of service on the board June 14. Members of the NSABB will meet quarterly to provide advice and recommend strategies on the oversight of federally approved “dual-use” research. Results from this type of research could possibly be used as a biological threat in the United States.

The recently formed NSABB will discuss five issues related to biosecurity:

• Defining dual-use criteria: What makes research results and processes dual-use, versus not dual-use?

• How best to communicate results of studies with a potential dual-use: Determining whether or how certain results, which might be used to cause a threat, should be communicated. This is an issue that raises questions related to academic freedom, a concept that deals with the right of faculty members to pursue research and publish their findings without restraint.

• Developing a code of conduct for researchers in the bio-sciences: Creating a code of conduct that can be taught in medical and graduate schools and as part of research education curricula may help to prevent misuse of dual-use research and increase awareness of potential threats while conducting research.

• Addressing international cooperation issues: Gaining international cooperation is key to making these efforts work.

• Addressing regulatory issues related to synthetic genome research: According to Imperiale, the ability for scientists to synthetically create viruses already exists. Creating bacterial genomes may not be too far in the future and is an issue that needs to be addressed.

Non-voting members interested in biosecurity issues will attend each quarterly meeting including representatives from the Departments of State, Defense, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services, as well as the Office of the President and others.

Formation of the NSABB is the direct result of the National Academy of Sciences' attempt two years ago to address the issue of biotechology research in the “age of terrorism.” The NAS found that there was a need to address the issue of dual-use research and made a recommendation to the federal government to form the NSABB.

The NSABB is administered by the HHS. Secretary Michael Leavitt has charged the National Institutes of Health with the management and oversight of the NSABB. All board meetings are open to the public. For more information on the NSABB, visit http://www.biosecurityboard.gov/faq.asp.

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