WIKIPEDIA, CYNTHIA S. GOLDSMITH AND THOMAS ROWEStudying dangerous pathogens is a double-edged sword. Bringing them into the lab and engineering them to become more virulent or more easily transmitted risks the accidental or purposeful release of a potentially deadly agent. On the other hand, without a deeper understanding of the threat, researchers may not be able to properly defend the population against a natural outbreak. These issues came to a head last year when researchers performed so-called “gain-of-function” experiments on the lethal H5N1 bird flu virus. The scientific community is now confronted with a similar dilemma in the face of H7N9, which has infected at least 133 people in China and killed 43 since March.
To preempt the negative fallout of such research on H7N9, a group of 22 prominent influenza researchers this week published a letter about how to approach the virus, emphasizing the need for a strict review process and the use of secure facilities. Signatories on the letter, published in both Nature and Science, include the leaders of last year’s H5N1 projects—Ron Fouchier from the Erasmus Medical Center and Yoshihiro Kawaoka from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“One of the main accusations last time around was that the flu community wasn’t being transparent about our work,” Fouchier told The Scientist. “Now, we’re trying to be upfront about what needs to be done, how it could be done, and how we could do it safely.”
WIKIMEDIA, THE LACKS FAMILYAfter the genome of the commonly used cell line HeLa was published in March, science writer Rebecca Skloot and others raised the ethical concern that the family of Henrietta Lacks, from whom the cells were taken without permission in the early 1950s, had not given its consent to the publication. Shortly thereafter, the genome was retracted. Now, in consultation with the surviving family members of Henrietta Lacks, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced a framework for sharing the retracted genome sequence, as well as another HeLa genome sequenced by NIH-funded researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle. The agreement, announced this week in Nature, will allow researchers to apply for access, assuming they plan to use the data solely for biomedical research purposes and formally acknowledge the contribution of Henrietta and her family.
