On March 10-11, 2016, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a public symposium on potential U.S. government policies for the oversight of gain-of-function (GOF) research. This was the Academies' second meeting held at the request of the U.S. government to provide a mechanism to engage the life sciences community and the broader public and solicit feedback on optimal approaches to ensure effective federal oversight of GOF research as part of a broader U.S. government deliberative process.

The first symposium, held in December 2014, examined the underlying scientific and technical questions surrounding the potential risks and benefits of GOF research involving pathogens with pandemic potential. The second symposium focused on discussion of the draft recommendations regarding GOF research of a Working Group of the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity. This report summarizes the key issues and ideas identified during the second symposium.

Contents

• The National Academies of SCIENCES • ENGINEERING • MEDICINE
• PLANNING COMMITTEE ON GAIN-OF-FUNCTION RESEARCH: THE SECOND SYMPOSIUM
• Acknowledgments
• Acronyms and Abbreviations
• 1. Introduction
  • OPENING REMARKS
• 2. The Draft National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity Policy Framework, the Risk and Benefit Assessment, and Insights for the Policy Process
  • OVERVIEW OF THE NATIONAL SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD FOR BIOSECURITY DRAFT WORKING PAPER
  • LESSONS FROM THE RISK AND BENEFIT ASSESSMENT
  • THE SCIENCE OF SAFETY AND THE SCIENCE OF PUBLIC CONSULTATION
• 3. Issues for U.S. Policy
  • THE POLICY LANDSCAPE IN THE UNITED STATES
  • BEST PRACTICES TO INFORM POLICY DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION
• 4. International Policy
  • INTERNATIONAL DIMENSIONS OF GAIN-OF-FUNCTION RESEARCH
  • OPPORTUNITIES TO HARMONIZE GOF RESEARCH POLICY AND PRACTICE
• 5. Summing Up
• Bibliography
• APPENDIXES
  • Appendix A. Board and Committee Members of Collaborating Units
  • Appendix B. Committee Biographies
  • Appendix C. Symposium Agenda
  • Appendix D. Speaker and Panelist Biographies
  • Appendix E. List of Attendees

Rapporteurs: Piers Millett, Jo Husbands, Frances Sharples, and Audrey Thevenon.

Suggested citation:

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. Gain-of-Function Research: Summary of the Second Symposium, March 10-11, 2016. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23484.