- Animal Models for Assessing Countermeasures to Bioterrorism Agents (2011)
- Toward Precision Medicine: Building a Knowledge Network for Biomedical Research and a New Taxonomy of Disease (2011)
- Continuing Assistance to the National Institutes of Health on Preparation of Additional Reisk Assessments for the Boston University NEIDL, Phase 3 (2011)
An ongoing workshop series provides a forum for understanding scientific advances in environmental health and how it can be applied to decision making. Visit the site find resources on metagenomics, epigenetics, and other topics.
A new report, "Toward Precision Medicine: Building a Knowledge Network for Biomedical Research and a New Taxonomy of Disease," concludes that a new data network integrating biomedical research with clinical data on individual patients could ultimately enhance diagnosis and treatment. Read more about the new report in this 4-page brief summary.
During the last decade, national and international scientific organizations have become increasingly engaged in considering how to respond to the biosecurity implications of developments in the life sciences and in assessing trends in science and technology (S&T) relevant to biological and chemical weapons nonproliferation. The latest example is an international workshop, Trends in Science and Technology Relevant to the Biological Weapons Convention, held October 31 - November 3, 2010 at the Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing.
Life Sciences and Related Fields summarizes the workshop, plenary, and breakout discussion sessions held during this convention. Given the immense diversity of current research and development, the report is only able to provide an overview of the areas of science and technology the committee believes are potentially relevant to the future of the Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention (BWC), although there is an effort to identify areas that seemed particularly ripe for further exploration and analysis.
Biosecurity at the National Academies
This website, created and maintained by the Board on Life Sciences, brings together information and resources from across the National Academies on biosecurity, biodefense, relevant aspects of public health, and discussions of the relationship betweek science and security. Along with links to reports and current projects, the site features material designed to introduce new audiences to the topic, such as the booklet "Understanding Biosecurity". To learn more, visit http://nas-sites.org/biosecurity/.
Less than a month after the September 11, 2001 attacks, letters containing spores of anthrax bacteria (Bacillus anthracis, or B. anthracis) were sent through the U.S. mail. Between October 4 and November 20, 2001, 22 individuals developed anthrax; 5 of the cases were fatal.
During its investigation of the anthrax mailings, the FBI
worked with other federal agencies to coordinate and conduct scientific
analyses of the anthrax letter spore powders, environmental samples,
clinical samples, and samples collected from laboratories that might
have been the source of the letter-associated spores. The agency relied
on external experts, including some who had developed tests to
differentiate among strains of B. anthracis. In 2008, seven years into
the investigation, the FBI asked the National Research Council (NRC) of
the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to conduct an independent review
of the scientific approaches used during the investigation of the 2001
B. anthracis mailings.
Review of the Scientific Approaches Used During the FBI's Investigation of the Anthrax Letters evaluates
the scientific foundation for the techniques used by the FBI to
determine whether these techniques met appropriate standards for
scientific reliability and for use in forensic validation, and whether
the FBI reached appropriate scientific conclusions from its use of these
techniques. This report reviews and assesses scientific evidence
considered in connection with the 2001 Bacillus anthracis mailings.