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- Title
THE "JURASSIC PARK" PROBLEM -- DUAL-USE RESEARCH OF CONCERN, PRIVATELY FUNDED RESEARCH AND PROTECTING PUBLIC HEALTH.
- Authors
Williams, Vickie J.
- Abstract
In November 2011, a controversy arose about publishing the results of two publicly funded experiments designed to transform the H5N1 "avian" influenza virus into a disease that would be easily transmissible between mammals through airborne means. The concern was that the published research could be used to produce biological weapons. Questions about the proper balance between encouraging the free flow of scientific information and protecting public health followed. This article discusses recent attempts by the U.S. government to balance these concerns and analyzes the effectiveness of these attempts, especially in light of increasing involvement of the private sector in biological research. It posits that the best way to protect the public health when dual-use research of concern is involved is to ensure that the implications of the proposed research are scrutinized by qualified people before the research begins. The article then proposes that requiring private sector researchers to demonstrate that they submitted their research protocols to the appropriate government body for a review of the potentially harmful uses of the research, before applying for a patent, is an effective way to ensure that privately funded research is subject to the same scrutiny as publicly funded research, while preserving First Amendment rights of free expression.
- Subjects
UNITED States; PUBLIC health research; PUBLIC health laws; HEALTH research fundraising; H5N1 Influenza; BIOLOGICAL weapons laws; BIOLOGICAL research; UNITED States. Constitution. 1st Amendment; FREEDOM of expression; VACCINATION
- Publication
Jurimetrics: The Journal of Law, Science & Technology, 2013, Vol 53, Issue 3, p361
- ISSN
0897-1277
- Publication type
Article