Dual-use decision making: relational and positional issues

Evans, Nicholas G.

doi:10.1007/s40592-015-0026-y

Cited by 17 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Viruses cause the most feared and devastating human diseases, their ability to spread rapidly making them major contributors to global infectious disease morbidity and mortality . In addition, a number of viruses have a dual use as biological weapons and tools of mass destruction . As the world celebrates four decades of smallpox eradication, Nigeria began to experience a recent outbreak of severe skin rash syndrome that mimics a form of varicella zoster and smallpox, with monkeypox virus (MPXV) being the etiologic agent …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of the monkeypox virus and a recent outbreak of skin rash disease in Nigeria

Kabuga

Zowalaty

2018

Journal of Medical Virology

135

122

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Since the eradication of smallpox approximately 39 years ago, monkeypox virus remains the most pathogenic poxvirus, being mainly restricted to Central and West Africa. Before 1970, there were no reports of human monkeypox in Nigeria, while between 1971 and 1978 there were three cases, with none having been reported thereafter. However, in September 2017, a case of contagious skin rash disease, typical of monkeypox, was observed in an 11‐year‐old boy from the southern part of the country and confirmed to be associated with the monkeypox virus. This large outbreak consisted of 262 suspected, 115 confirmed cases, and 7 mortalities across 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. The aim of this manuscript is to provide an updated, comprehensive, and timely review of monkeypox, an important emerging infection in Nigeria. Monkeypox is now a major threat to global health security, requiring an urgent multidisciplinary approach involving veterinarians, physicians, virologists, and public health experts to fast‐track the development of diagnostic assays, vaccines, antivirals, and other control strategies.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of the monkeypox virus and a recent outbreak of skin rash disease in Nigeria

Kabuga

Zowalaty

2018

Journal of Medical Virology

135

122

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“…The dual‐use view is often adopted when discussing the promises and risks of the DIYBM. On a fundamental level, the DIYBM is a risk because it increases the dual‐use risk and the risk for unintended negative consequences since it increases the probability of accidents by practitioners with no biosafety training “manipulating organisms in their homes” and possibly pursuing “reckless projects” (Gómez‐Tatay & Hernández‐Andreu, , p. 26) without “regulatory devices such as professional codes, export controls, or classification” (Evans, , p. 272). However, Jefferson, Lentzos, and Marris () argue that current advances in DNA synthesis are far from enabling the DIYBM to be a real risk for biosecurity.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unconventional settings and uses of human enhancement technologies: A non‐systematic review of public and experts' views on self‐enhancement and DIY biology/biohacking risks

Gaspar

Rohde

Giger

2019

Human Behav and Emerg Tech

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Human enhancement aims at improving individual human performance through science‐based or technology‐based interventions in the human body. For various decades, associated research and applications/interventions were performed in conventional settings (e.g., research institutes) through conventional regulated and controlled procedures (e.g., clinical trials). In the last decade there has been an emergence of science activities grounded on emerging technologies used in unconventional settings (e.g., households; community labs), often through unconventional unregulated and uncontrolled procedures (e.g., self‐administration of substances). The Do‐It‐Yourself Biology or Biohacking movement is an example of communities supportive of such activities, which use emerging technologies such as the CRISPR technique. Among others, these can have other or self‐enhancement goals. Because such activities are anticipated to increase in the future, and due to the methods novelty, lack of regulation, quality, and safety control, there is uncertainty regarding personal and social consequences. Thus, these can be considered to present an emerging risk to human health and the environment. A first step in risk regulation is considering ethical aspects of emerging technologies use, which has been implemented. A second step to sustain subsequent evidence‐based risk management and risk communication to citizen scientists, is necessary. It should involve risk assessment by experts and an understanding of public views on human enhancement technologies. Due to the scarce literature, gathering information to support this step was the goal of a non‐systematic literature review. This focused on internal enhancements through substances intake and human body manipulations, specifically DIY biology/biohacking activities with this goal.

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“…The value, distribution, and use of a particular platform technology is not guaranteed. Novel technologies to combat infectious disease are insufficient solutions if a significant portion of the population has no access to the most basic public health and healthcare infrastructure ( Evans, 2014 ). Platform technologies may or may not be fully distributed, and there may be restrictions on where they can operate; for example, if plant-based production systems have a limited climate in which they can be grown, or require significant resources to cultivate.…”

Section: Issues Most Relevant In the Longer Term (>10 Years)mentioning

confidence: 99%

A transatlantic perspective on 20 emerging issues in biological engineering

Wintle

Boehm

Rhodes

et al. 2017

eLife

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Advances in biological engineering are likely to have substantial impacts on global society. To explore these potential impacts we ran a horizon scanning exercise to capture a range of perspectives on the opportunities and risks presented by biological engineering. We first identified 70 potential issues, and then used an iterative process to prioritise 20 issues that we considered to be emerging, to have potential global impact, and to be relatively unknown outside the field of biological engineering. The issues identified may be of interest to researchers, businesses and policy makers in sectors such as health, energy, agriculture and the environment.

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Dual-use decision making: relational and positional issues

Cited by 17 publications

References 51 publications

A review of the monkeypox virus and a recent outbreak of skin rash disease in Nigeria

A review of the monkeypox virus and a recent outbreak of skin rash disease in Nigeria

Unconventional settings and uses of human enhancement technologies: A non‐systematic review of public and experts' views on self‐enhancement and DIY biology/biohacking risks

A transatlantic perspective on 20 emerging issues in biological engineering

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