In the fall, several publications were published that are important for biosecurity. The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI-bio) published a report on the management of risks of biodesign tools. The Canadian Biorisk Institute published a guidance document for biorisk management ISO 35001 standard. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) published a biosecurity strategy on pandemic preparedness.
Developing Guardrails for AI Biodesign Tools
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and life sciences offers enormous potential benefits to society, but advances in AI biodesign tools also carry significant risks of misuse. Currently, few measures are in place to ensure that the benefits of these technologies can be safely realized with minimal risk of misuse. In November, the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI-Bio) published a report that examined potential measures for the safe use of biodesign tools. The report makes several recommendations, including introducing screening mechanisms for users and regulating access to these tools.
Establishment, Implementation, and Auditing of a Laboratory Biorisk Management System based on ISO 35001:2019
The ISO 35001 standard defines a process for identifying, assessing, controlling and monitoring the risks associated with hazardous biological materials. This document is applicable to all laboratories or other organizations that handle, transport and/or dispose of hazardous biological materials. A guideline has recently been published with practical information on how to implement this ISO standard in practice: [ignore]https://bioriskinternational.com/book[/ignore]
CEPI Biosecurity Strategy
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) published a biosecurity strategy in September during the High-level Week 2024 of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The report focuses on strengthening biosecurity globally and also underscores CEPI’s commitment to pandemic preparedness. The strategy identifies biosecurity vulnerabilities and outlines five strategies and goals to address them, also in light of the need to combat new pandemics.