This JAMA Forum discusses the Biden administration’s recently released National Biodefense Strategy and recommends that the implementation of this national strategy be accompanied by recommendations from the Commonwealth Fund Commission.

Genetic research is big business and has yielded life-saving treatments. But experts are warning of caution about ‘gain of function’ research that has the pandemic potential.

EDITORIAL. The benefits of experiments in making pathogens more virulent or transmissible are not worth the risks, and stricter supervision is needed at an international level.

Johns Hopkins computational biologist Steven Salzberg says Boston University study that created a new form of the omicron coronavirus variant should never have happened

Boston University researchers created a new strain of COVID-19. Such work is important, but needs more stringent oversight.

After all the controversy over the past 2 years about gain-of-function research on viruses, it's shocking to learn that scientists at Boston University have just created a brand-new Covid-19 virus that causes 80% mortality in lab mice.

Boston University scientists did gain-of-function research on the COVID-19 virus. Now, the government is investigating the work.

Boston University says its research with "chimeric recombinant" viruses did not lead to a "gain of function."

India, Singapore and the Philippines are among those building new laboratories certified as biosafety level 3 or above, but some researchers worry about the costs and risks.

Biosafety Level-3 laboratories (BSL-3) are an essential part of research infrastructure and are used to develop vaccines and therapies. The research conducted in them provides insights into host-pathogen interactions that may help prevent future pandem...

Gain-of-function research in virology can pinpoint genetic mutations that could make viruses a pandemic threat, yet there is no guarantee that the next pandemic virus will follow any of the genetic roadmaps scientists discover using these methods. A po...

Experts say IBCs are a crucial tool for ensuring the safety of biomedical research. Critics say they are too opaque.

Advisory panel asked to examine whether definition of certain gain-of-function studies should be expanded