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Responsible Stewardship: Choices and Challenges in Preventing the Malign Use of the Life Sciences

Responsible Stewardship: Choices and Challenges in Preventing the Malign Use of the Life Sciences. Brian Rappert . Responsible Stewardship Statements. World Medical Association (2002) Declaration of Washington on Biological Weapons Appeal of International Committee of the Red Cross (2002)

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Responsible Stewardship: Choices and Challenges in Preventing the Malign Use of the Life Sciences

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  1. Responsible Stewardship: Choices and Challenges in Preventing the Malign Use of the Life Sciences Brian Rappert

  2. Responsible Stewardship Statements • World Medical Association (2002) Declaration of Washington on Biological Weapons • Appeal of International Committee of the Red Cross (2002) • National Research Council (2003) Biotechnology Research in an Age of Terrorism • Statement of Journal Editors and Authors Group (2003) • World Health Organization (2005) Governing Life Science Research – Opportunities and Risk for Public Health • BBSRC, MRC and Wellcome Trust (2005) Managing Risks of Misuse Associated with Grant Funding Activities • InterAcademy Panel (2005) Statement on Biosecurity • BTWC (2003 & 2005) Report of the Meeting of States Parties

  3. Emerging Prevailing Elements Of Responsible Stewardship 1. Self-governance by scientific communities - e.g., Asilomar & rDNA Guidelines v UK Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 2. Stay ahead of threats by ‘running faster’, but initiate mechanisms for scientific expert predicative risk-benefit assessment of individual research proposals, experiments, and publications. 3. Engage expertise and energies of scientists and others associated with the life sciences

  4. Responsible Stewardship & Professional Codes • InterAcademy Panel (2005) Statement on Biosecurity • BTWC (2005) Report of the Meeting of States Parties • International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (2005) Code of Ethics • International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (2005) The Building Blocks for a Code of Conduct for Scientists • International Union of Microbiological Societies (2005) Code of Ethics for the Prevention of the Misuse of Scientific Knowledge, Research & Resources • NSABB (2006) Considerations in Developing a Code of Conduct for Dual Use Research in the Life Science

  5. Some Questions About Code Initiatives With some Further Engagement Fostered, What Now? More Prelude than Practice?- From code  principles/considerations for a code IAP, ICRC, ICGEB, BTWC, NSABB Reiterate or Clarify? Extend or Consolidate? - still open questions, but… What about Education and Awareness Raising Role?

  6. Statements Of The Need For Risk-Benefit Assessment • National Research Council (US)(2003) Biotechnology Research in an Age of Terrorism • Statement of Journal Editors and Authors Group (2003) • World Health Organization (2005) Governing Life Science Research – Opportunities and Risk for Public Health • BBSRC, MRC and Wellcome Trust (2005) Managing Risks of Misuse Associated with Grant Funding Activities • American Medical Association (2005) Guidelines to Prevent Malevolent Use of Biomedical Research • NSABB (2006) Draft Criteria for Dual Use Research of Concern

  7. Experience With Expert Predicative Risk-Benefit Assessment Of Individual Research Activities - 2003 Statement of Journal Editors and Authors Group: process agreed for reviewing, modifying, and perhaps even rejecting research articles where ‘the potential harm of publication outweighs the potential societal benefits.’ Results (???): No publication stopped yet in any journals; 1/5000 needing security assessment (ASM editorial group); couple modified - Wellcome Trust never refused an application or imposed publication restrictions because of dual use concerns - 2005 Sequencing and reconstruction of 1918 Flu virus: NSABB, Science, Nature agree benefits outweighed the risk

  8. Reflections On Experience With Expert Predicative Risk-Benefit Assessment • Why research of concern everywhere and nowhere?: Lack of appreciation, absence of issue, failure to detect? • How to weigh?: Expert based v. metric based; Balance v. precautionary approach • How not to impose burdens yet change thinking? • Other questions:- What gets funded? - What about the development of (sub-) fields rather than individual activities?

  9. Some Questions About Education Ubiquitous underpinning, but… - Education as ‘implanting’ or ‘eliciting’?- Assuming the need for some challenging: Are ‘regulations’ and moral imagination co-dependent or at odds? - If there is a need for ‘the public understanding of science’, is there also a need for ‘scientists understanding of the public’ or ‘scientists understanding of science’?

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