safety

A large-scale shortage of respirators and face shields threatens progress in some labs that are currently trying to ramp up their studies of SARS-CoV-2.

The US lacks standardized methods to assess products for potency and safety. That’s a big problem for the labs tasked with doing the testing.

The agency cites lapses in biosafety procedures at the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases in Maryland.

Recent reports of babies born with opioid withdrawal symptoms after their mothers used kratom during pregnancy have generated much concern about the medicinal herb.

A newly expanded genetic alphabet that includes four synthetic nucleotides highlights the need for strict boundaries on their use.

The agency sends warning letters to makers of products that claim to prevent or treat Alzheimer’s and other diseases, and announces changes to its enforcement practices.

Two professors have been arrested for negligence in connection with the blast.

The European Court of Justice has decided that organisms made with precision techniques such as CRISPR will be subject to the same rules as transgenic plants or animals.

Vanessa Allen Sutherland will resign next month, leaving the agency with just three members of what should be a five-person board.

Two patients became legally blind after receiving treatments at the facilities.

Cell implants, gene therapy, even optogenetics are making headway in clinical trials to treat various forms of blindness.  

The pre-peer review assessment finds the compound has “minimal effects,” but endocrinologists and others say key data have yet to come out.

Only a few labs will earn funding for such “gain-of-function” research on SARS, MERS, and other deadly diseases.

Tissue recipients were treated as “guinea pigs,” says investigation leader.

The adipose-derived cells were injected into the patients’ eyes to treat age-related macular degeneration. 

How to increase the resiliency of biotechnology organizations in the face of emergency risks

From mouth pipetting to automated liquid handling, life-science labs have gotten much safer over the past three decades.

Two studies add to the evidence that replacements for the plastic additive affect cells and animals in the same, untoward ways as bisphenol A.

The Association for Molecular Pathology finds fault in the agency’s report on safety issues associated with certain lab tests.