Update: This year’s summer workshop on Pandemics, Bioterrorism, and Global Health Security was cancelled. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the Schar School of Policy and Government of George Mason University has cancelled all on-campus events through mid-August.
The Dual Use Dilemma
How do you control new pathogens? Picture by Shutterstock/Ranjith Ravindran
An important issue in the public health area today is dual use research and technology, a topic that often remains unspoken about and unknown to the public. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “dual use research of concern (DURC) is life sciences research that is intended for benefit, but which might easily be misapplied to do harm”. Continue Reading
Interview with Dr. Tomoya Saito – The Risks of Dual-Use Technologies for Biosecurity
Bacteria Francisella tularensis, a potential biothreat agent. Picture by Shutterstock/ Kateryna Kon
Over the summer, I met with Dr. Tomoya Saito in Tokyo to learn about outbreak and bioterror preparedness in Japan.
This is Part II of my conversation in which we discuss the risks of dual-use technologies for biosecurity. Part I focused on the structure of the Japanese preparedness system and was posted in March. Continue Reading
National Biodefense Strategy 2018: The US Government’s Latest Approach to Combat Biological Threats
Scientists in high security lab. Picture by Shutterstock/Gorodenkoff
On the preparedness front in the United States, the new National Biodefense Strategy was released on September 19, 2018. The new strategy establishes clear and thoughtful goals that will become a vital part of “managing the risk of biological incidents… in today’s interconnected world” 1. Continue Reading