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Vaccine Research: Ethical Considerations for Germ Warfare and Bioterrorism

Vaccine Research: Ethical Considerations for Germ Warfare and Bioterrorism. Tom R. Phillips, D.V.M., Ph.D. Vaccine Research Institute of San Diego March 20, 2002. Advantages of Biological Weapons. Ease of manufacture Starting material readily obtainable Expanding microbial genome database

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Vaccine Research: Ethical Considerations for Germ Warfare and Bioterrorism

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  1. Vaccine Research: Ethical Considerations for Germ Warfare and Bioterrorism Tom R. Phillips, D.V.M., Ph.D. Vaccine Research Institute of San Diego March 20, 2002

  2. Advantages of Biological Weapons • Ease of manufacture • Starting material readily obtainable • Expanding microbial genome database • Relative low cost, compared to chemical and nuclear weapons

  3. Agents • Lethal or incapacitating • Anti-personnel, anti-animal, anti-plant • Replicating pathogen, toxin • Contagious or non-contagious

  4. Ideal Agent • Highly contagious • Highly toxic • Produces severe disease • Environmentally stable • Effective vaccine or treatment not available • Difficult to identify or detect • Capable of large scale production • Efficient mass distribution

  5. Human Pathogens Bacillus anthracis Brucella suis Coxiella burnetii Francisella tularensis Yersinia pestis Smallpox Viral encephalitides Viral hemorrhagic fevers Toxins Botulinum Ricin Staphylococcal enterotoxin B Anti-crop agents Rice blast Rye stem rust Wheat stem rust Anti-animal Foot and mouth disease

  6. Increase Virulence Through Genetic Manipulation • Modify antigenic properties • Increase environmental stability • Prevent detection or identification • Enhance drug resistance • Addition of virulence gene (toxin)

  7. Estimate of effectiveness US Congressional Office of Technology Assessment estimated 130,000 - 3 million deaths following aerosolized release anthrax spores upwind of Washington, DC. , matching or exceeding hydrogen bomb.

  8. History of biological weapons • 1346 Tartar siege of Kaffa (Feodossa) catapult plague victims over walls • 1767 The French and Indian War the English gave Smallpox contaminated blankets to Indians • 1917 (WWI) German agents inoculated horses and cattle with Glanders disease. • 1940 Japan dropped Bubonic plague infected fleas and grain (to attract the local rats) in China

  9. History of biological weapons (continued) • 1975 Biological Weapons Convention prohibiting the production/stockpiling biological weapons • 1978 Bulgarian exile, Georgi Markov, stabbed with a steel ball packed with ricin • 1979 Sverdlovsk Incident accidental explosion at biological warfare facility killing an estimated 200-1000 people from anthrax.

  10. History of biological weapons (continued) • 1991-1992 Evidence of offensive biological weapons in Iraq, warheads with botulinum toxin, anthrax spores, and aflatoxin. • 1993 Aum Shinrikyo, Japanese terrorist group, released anthrax spores and botulin toxin. • 2001 anthrax spores through the USA mail.

  11. Continuum • Responsible state • Rogue state • Larger terrorist organization • Smaller terrorist organization • Individual assassination/murder

  12. Signatories of 1975 Biological Weapons Conventionprohibiting the production/stockpiling biological weapons(Selected countries listed) • Afghanistan • Cyprus • Egypt (signed not ratified) • India • Iran • Iraq • Lebanon • Libya • Malaysia • North Korea • Pakistan • Russian Federation • Syria (signed not ratified) • USA • USSR

  13. Vaccine History • 1796 Jenner’s demonstration of cowpox protecting smallpox • 1881 Pasteur’s Anthrax vaccine • 1897 killed plague vaccine • 1957 IND for Q fever • 1965 IND for VEE • 1970 USA anthrax vaccine • 1977 eradication of smallpox

  14. Where is the ethical question? • Vaccines - Good • Germ warfare - Bad • Bioterrorism - Bad

  15. Science Ethical Considerations • Government funded research - trust to use information responsibly • Effective vaccine, give first strike capability? • The right, responsibility, need to publish VS. placing sensitive information into public domain. • Purposeful or accidentally increasing a pathogen’s virulence - publish finding?

  16. Science Ethical Considerations(Continued) • Will scientists have to overcome reluctance to discuss the implications of their work in the context of biological weapons? • USA scientists under investigation sending anthrax through the mail. What are the pressures? • Should means be instituted to keep technology from being used in a subversive manner?

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