NIH gain-of-function regulations are vague and secretive, advisers say – U.S. Right to Know

The National Institutes of Health should improve how it regulates lab generated viruses that could pose a national security risk, according to its biosecurity advisers.

The National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity highlighted wide gaps in the oversight of controversial projects that create enhanced pandemic potential pathogens in preliminary recommendations to the NIH. The report comes ahead of a public meeting to finalize recommendations this week.

Privately funded research that risks causing a pandemic occurs largely in the shadows, the group found. Meanwhile, NIH-funded research with pandemic risks is falling through the cracks of the agency s vague internal processes.

On paper, NIH-funded projects that could pose a pandemic risk are subject to an extra layer of regulatory review by the enhanced pandemic potential pathogens committee, or P3CO.

In practice, the NIH refers few research projects for closer scrutiny, the NSABB says, echoing the concerns of nonpartisan experts.

In rare instances where projects are referred for review by the P3CO, the deliberation occurs in secret. The composition of the P3CO is unknown to anyone outside of the process except for the NSABB and a few members of Congress.

via usrtk.org