Toward global harmonization for control of dual-use biothreat agents

Some nations have already instituted strict controls regulating who is allowed to have access to potential biothreat agents and there are informal guidelines for export controls. For global security, there should be a coordinated international system of enhanced physical and personnel biosecurity controls together with effective export controls to prevent the misuse of microorganisms and toxins. This oversight system should extend to the emerging field of synthetic biology which potentially allows for the de novo synthesis of dangerous pathogens. Currently, however, the system for regulating possession and exchange of potentially dangerous agents is fragmented and many scientists feel that it is inhibitory to research in the life sciences. The system for oversight needs to be global in scope and fully harmonized to permit critical biomedical research and biotechnology to flourish so as to enhance protection of public health, agriculture, and economic security. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.