SciAm: Branswell On Lab Biosafety

 

 

 

# 8836

 

I’ve been away from my desk for most of the day, but I wanted to recommend (very highly) the following Scientific American piece by Helen Branswell on the fallout from the recent laboratory incidents involving select agents at the CDC and FDA.

 

 

Bio-Unsafety Level 3: Could the Next Lab Accident Result in a Pandemic?

So-called gain-of-function pathogen research will likely receive closer scrutiny after three U.S. biolab incidents

Jul 14, 2014 |By Helen Branswell

A CDC scientist inoculates a chicken egg with H5N1 in a biosafety level 3 lab. 
Credit: CDC/Greg Knobloch

There had to be a sinking feeling in the chest of every researcher who works in a high-containment research laboratory last Friday when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its report on three worrisome incidents that raised safety questions at two well-respected government facilities. But it is likely the sensation was most acute for the influenza scientists who work in a controversial field known as gain-of-function research.

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Referral: Helen Branswell’s SciAm Piece on H7N9

Regions Reporting H7N9

 

# 7150

 

The challenge when recommending a Helen Branswell  article is the struggle to find another superlative to describe her work that hasn’t been already been used to death.   

 

Undaunted, I’ll simply say that if it’s by Branswell, you’re going to want to read it.

 

This is not technical article, but an excellent introduction to this emerging H7N9 virus.  At this point, I’ll step aside and invite you to read:

 

Ill-Advised: Researchers Agree Puzzling New Bird Flu Should Be Taken Seriously

It's time to commit to memory a new combination of H and N influenza numbers. Since it arrived on the scene H7N9 has vexed researchers and shown it can be deadly to humans

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