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Ban on hazardous virus experiments could be lifted

Some of the riskiest biological experiments—which have been effectively banned for the last 18 months—could be allowed again if a group of experts agrees on rules governing the work. Scientists, public health officials, and government representatives met March…

Predicting global health threats for 2016

Which diseases might plague the world in 2016? Experts say that relatively unheard-of diseases could emerge, such as the Zika virus, which may already be causing birth defects in Brazil and French Polynesia. Or known threats such as…

Should scientists experiment with highly contagious pathogens?

The current controversy about the wisdom of conducting experiments with pathogens that are genetically engineered to be more contagious presents a unique opportunity to set an effective precedent on the issue of biological experiments that carry large-scale risks,…

Q & A: When lab research threatens humanity

[ Fall 2014 ] Is bench research that creates a lethal, contagious bird flu virus worth the risk that the virus could escape the lab? Not according to Marc Lipsitch, professor of epidemiology at Harvard School of Public…

A critical voice on biosafety

Marc Lipsitch, professor of epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health and director of the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics, has become a leading critic of experiments creating dangerous flu strains that are transmissible between mammals. Earlier this…

Influenza forecasting system wins prize from CDC

A new system for predicting seasonal peaks of influenza in cities across the U.S., developed by a team of scientists including Marc Lipsitch of Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), has won first place out of 11 teams…

Bird flu experiments pose risk of accidental release

Research in mammals that aims to prevent future influenza pandemics raises ethical, public health concerns For immediate release: May 20, 2014 Boston, MA — Experiments creating dangerous flu strains that are transmissible between mammals pose too great a risk…

The nano state

[ Spring 2014 ] Can tiny engineered particles help protect us from infectious disease? Hotel rooms, subway cars, offices, airplanes, cruise ships: to most people, the air they breathe inside these places seems benign, if sometimes stuffy and stale. But…