Emerging technologies and bio-threats

Many Institutional Biosafety Committees have expanded their role beyond their original mission, described in the National Institutes of Health Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules. The guidelines are derived from the 1975 Asilomar Conference on Recombinant DNA Molecules that convened to examine and address societal concerns surrounding the (then) newly emerging recombinant DNA technology. This chapter will focus on emerging biological agents and cutting-edge technologies that present challenges to evaluating and assessing the biohazard risks associated with research protocols. Highly specialized and/or cross-disciplinary knowledge may be required for committee members to be able to evaluate benefit versus risk for research proposals addressing emerging infectious agents or technologies. The importance of designing a process that will account for the full range of requirements to fulfill the societal expectations of safety, efficiency, and scientific progress is highlighted.