Bioterrorism with new supervirus from the laboratory

No detailed reports on highly contagious supervirus desired

12/22/2012

The US government is attempting to stop the publication of studies on laboratory-bred avian flu virus with reference to the risk of bioterrorism. The US National Biosafety Advisory Board (NSABB) demanded from the journal „Science“ not publish the research results as planned.

Questionable this unprecedented process not only because all research should actually be made available to the scientific community, so that other scientists can incorporate the new findings in their work, but also because the US government had financed the development of the new highly contagious virus itself , The warning against a possible use for purposes of bioterrorism may indeed seem justified, but such a virus would never have been bred anyway from this point of view. However, as the scientists and the US government have always emphasized, raising awareness about the potential risks of mutant avian influenza (H5N1) and research into new treatment options is a major challenge, but this requires detailed disclosure of the current study results.

For the first time US authorities demand the secrecy of research results
For the first time in the current case, the US authorities have switched to the publication of study results and officially called for secrecy of the research. For the trade magazine „Science“ a difficult situation. Because certainly the fears of the US body for biosafety are quite understandable, on the other hand, however, a comprehensive publication of all results from a scientific point of view is absolutely necessary. The US authorities said in their letter that the study results of the two research teams around Ron Fouchier and Yoshihiro Kawaoka could be misused by bioterrorists as a blueprint for the highly contagious virus. Therefore, the NSABB invited researchers and scientific journals not to publish the results as intended. Instead, only the conclusions of the studies should be presented without an exact description of the methodology or the exact mutations of the new pathogen. The NSABB also advises scientists to better address the goals of their research, as well as the benefits to medical research and health care, rather than detailing their work as a whole.

Publication of drug development studies required
The „Science“-Editor-in-chief Bruce Alberts describes the process as unique. Never before had the US government engaged in the publication of a study and demanded its secrecy. The concern of a scientific journal also goes in this direction clearly in a different direction. Instead of secrecy, renowned journals emphasize the most detailed description possible, so that other researchers can repeat the study, reproduce and verify their results, and incorporate the findings into their own studies. In the current case, for example, scientists are calling for the data to be made available to at least designated influenza researchers. The „Science“-Editor-in-chief Bruce Alberts also said that the newly created virus can be combated with known anti-viral drugs and some vaccine candidates, so the publication of the data for the development of drugs and vaccines is of particular importance. „Science“ Therefore, despite the understandable statement by the US Biosafety Panel, he has considerable reservations about withholding this important knowledge of influenza research from experts, explained Albert. The „Science“-The editor-in-chief called for a transparent mechanism, which on the one hand enables the transmission of critical data to responsible influenza researchers worldwide and, on the other hand, ensures that the virus does not fall into the hands of bioterrorists. „Science“ stated that it was keeping the study results under lock and key until the US government had developed such a transparent data-sharing mechanism. However, it is unclear whether the government can even come to such a procedure.

Infection potential of bird flu pathogens far greater than previously thought
The new supervirus was developed and studied by Ron Fouchier at Erasmus University in Rotterdam and Yoshihiro Kawaoka at the University of Wisconsin. Already few mutations were enough to make the avian influenza virus a highly contagious pathogen with similar transmissibility as the swine flu virus, Ron Fouchier reported at a conference in Malta in September. The two studies on the development of the supervirus were funded by National Institutes of Health (NIH) of the United States, where the focus was on the risk of infection from mutant H5N1 viruses, according to the US authorities. Both studies have confirmed at this point that the infection potential of the virus for mammals including humans is significantly greater than previously thought, according to the NIH. Thus, the current study could help to better assess the risk of infection in the future and take appropriate preventive measures, the US authorities said.

Secrecy versus research interest
The scientists, Fouchier and Kawaoka, also emphasized the beneficial approach of their studies. So their research results are used to search for vaccines and other anti-super-virus drugs, Fouchier and Kawaoka said. How this should work if the results of the research should not be published remains to be seen. Following the recommendation of the US Biosafety Panel, Ron Fouchier has now revised his study and taken out critical data „Science“ to the news agency „dpa“. The researchers around Yosgihiro Kawaoka are planning their findings in the British journal „Nature“ The NSABB has already approached the editorial board with its recommendations on secrecy, the report said „Nature“-Editor-in-Chief Philip Campbell. (Fp)

Picture: Rolf van Melis