Stream Our Advisory Council Meeting on September 11 with NIH Videocast
Watch NIAID Acting Director Dr. Hugh Auchincloss and Dr. Ted Pierson, our new Vaccine Research Center Director, deliver prepared remarks at the NIAID Advisory Council Meeting—September 2023 on September 11, 2023, at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time.
That same day, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time, you can also stream the AIDS Research Advisory Committee, Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Transplantation Subcommittee, and Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Subcommittee meetings.
Answer RFI on Dual Use Research of Concern and Potential Pandemic Pathogens Oversight
Last week, the White House Office of Science and Technology published a request for information (RFI) in the Federal Register to collect feedback on Potential Changes to the Policies for Oversight of Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC) and the Potential Pandemic Pathogen Care and Oversight (P3CO) Policy Framework. The RFI will inform policy evaluations and planned issuance of a revised, harmonized policy that merges existing DURC and P3CO policies to better address oversight for research with pathogens and toxins.
We will cover the proposed changes in greater detail in the September 20, 2023 issue of NIAID Funding News. Responses are due by October 16, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
Provide Feedback on a Meaningful Adjustment to NIH’s Mission Statement
NIH published a request for information (RFI) to collect input from the biomedical research community on a planned change to NIH’s mission statement. Currently, NIH’s intent, among other aims, is to apply knowledge to “reduce disability.” Such language implies that disabled people are flawed and need to be fixed.
NIH proposes a new mission statement: “To seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and to apply that knowledge to optimize health and prevent or reduce illness for all people.”
You can share your opinion by responding at RFI: Inviting Comments and Suggestions on Updating the NIH Mission Statement. The deadline to submit a response is November 24, 2023. Take care not to include any private or confidential information.
Help NIH Address Safety for Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules
NIH plans to update its guidance for conducting NIH-supported research involving gene drive modified organisms (GDMOs) in contained research settings, including:
- Clarifying minimum containment requirements for research involving GDMOs.
- Articulating considerations for risk assessment.
- Defining additional institutional responsibilities regarding Institutional Biosafety Committees and Biosafety Officers.
NIH would also:
- Replace the term “helper viruses” with the broader term “helper systems.”
- Reclassify West Nile Virus (WNV) and Saint Louis Encephalitis Virus (SLEV) as risk group 2 agents.
Find complete details on these proposed revisions at NIH Office of Science Policy: Proposed Changes to the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules. The deadline to submit a Comment Form is October 10, 2023. In your response, do not include personally identifiable information or any proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information.