CSER - 16 January 2015 - Risks and benefits of gain-of-function experiments in potentially pandemic pathogens

Duration: 1 hour 7 mins

Share this media item:

Embed this media item:

<iframe width="_width_" height="_height_" src="https://sms.cam.ac.uk/media/1898320/embed" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Choose size:

About this item

Available Formats

About this item

CSER - 16 January 2015 - Risks and benefits of gain-of-function experiments in potentially pandemic pathogens's image

Description:	The Centre for the Study of Existential Risk is pleased to announce a monthly seminar series beginning in January 2015. The January seminar was given by Professor Marc Lipsitch (Harvard): “Risks and benefits of gain-of-function experiments in potentially pandemic pathogens. How should we evaluate them, and what alternatives exist?” Professor Derek Smith, Professor of Infectious Disease Informatics at Cambridge, gave a response. Abstract: "A growing trend in experimental virology has been the modification of influenza viruses that are antigenically novel to, and virulent in humans, such that these variant viruses are readily transmissible in mammals, including ferrets which are thought to be the best animal model for influenza infection. Novel, contagious, virulent viruses are potential pandemic pathogens in that their accidental or malevolent release into the human population could cause a pandemic. This talk will describe the purported benefits of such studies, arguing that these are overstated; estimate the magnitude of the risk they create, argue for the superiority of alternative scientific approaches on both safety and scientific grounds, and propose an ethical framework in which such experiments should be evaluated. The talk will also explore recent developments following the pause in funding for this research announced by the United States Government in October, and steps towards the risk-benefit analysis called for by the announcement" Professor Lipsitch is a professor of epidemiology and the Director of the Centre for Communicable Disease Dynamics at Harvard University. He is one of the founders of the Cambridge Working group, which calls for a “quantitative, objective and credible assessment of the risks, potential benefits, and opportunities for risk mitigation” of gain of function experiments in potentially pandemic pathogen strains. For more on the scientific debate, see “Gain-of-function experiments: time for a real debate”.

Description:

The Centre for the Study of Existential Risk is pleased to announce a monthly seminar series beginning in January 2015.

The January seminar was given by Professor Marc Lipsitch (Harvard):

“Risks and benefits of gain-of-function experiments in potentially pandemic pathogens. How should we evaluate them, and what alternatives exist?”

Professor Derek Smith, Professor of Infectious Disease Informatics at Cambridge, gave a response.

Abstract: "A growing trend in experimental virology has been the modification of influenza viruses that are antigenically novel to, and virulent in humans, such that these variant viruses are readily transmissible in mammals, including ferrets which are thought to be the best animal model for influenza infection. Novel, contagious, virulent viruses are potential pandemic pathogens in that their accidental or malevolent release into the human population could cause a pandemic. This talk will describe the purported benefits of such studies, arguing that these are overstated; estimate the magnitude of the risk they create, argue for the superiority of alternative scientific approaches on both safety and scientific grounds, and propose an ethical framework in which such experiments should be evaluated. The talk will also explore recent developments following the pause in funding for this research announced by the United States Government in October, and steps towards the risk-benefit analysis called for by the announcement"

Professor Lipsitch is a professor of epidemiology and the Director of the Centre for Communicable Disease Dynamics at Harvard University. He is one of the founders of the Cambridge Working group, which calls for a “quantitative, objective and credible assessment of the risks, potential benefits, and opportunities for risk mitigation” of gain of function experiments in potentially pandemic pathogen strains.

For more on the scientific debate, see “Gain-of-function experiments: time for a real debate”.


Created:	2015-02-02 09:23
Collection:	The Centre for the Study of Existential Risk The Centre for the Study of Existential Risk
Publisher:	University of Cambridge
Copyright:	Glenn Jobson
Language:	eng (English)
Keywords:	CSER; Risk; CRASSH; Marc Lipsitch; Derek Smith;


Abstract:	The Centre for the Study of Existential Risk is pleased to announce a monthly seminar series beginning in January 2015. The January seminar was given by Professor Marc Lipsitch (Harvard): “Risks and benefits of gain-of-function experiments in potentially pandemic pathogens. How should we evaluate them, and what alternatives exist?” Professor Derek Smith, Professor of Infectious Disease Informatics at Cambridge, gave a response. Abstract: "A growing trend in experimental virology has been the modification of influenza viruses that are antigenically novel to, and virulent in humans, such that these variant viruses are readily transmissible in mammals, including ferrets which are thought to be the best animal model for influenza infection. Novel, contagious, virulent viruses are potential pandemic pathogens in that their accidental or malevolent release into the human population could cause a pandemic. This talk will describe the purported benefits of such studies, arguing that these are overstated; estimate the magnitude of the risk they create, argue for the superiority of alternative scientific approaches on both safety and scientific grounds, and propose an ethical framework in which such experiments should be evaluated. The talk will also explore recent developments following the pause in funding for this research announced by the United States Government in October, and steps towards the risk-benefit analysis called for by the announcement" Professor Lipsitch is a professor of epidemiology and the Director of the Centre for Communicable Disease Dynamics at Harvard University. He is one of the founders of the Cambridge Working group, which calls for a “quantitative, objective and credible assessment of the risks, potential benefits, and opportunities for risk mitigation” of gain of function experiments in potentially pandemic pathogen strains. For more on the scientific debate, see “Gain-of-function experiments: time for a real debate”.

Abstract:

Available Formats

Format	Quality	Bitrate	Size
MPEG-4 Video	1280x720	2.98 Mbits/sec	1.46 GB	View	Download
MPEG-4 Video	640x360	1.9 Mbits/sec	959.60 MB	View	Download
WebM	1280x720	3.01 Mbits/sec	1.48 GB	View	Download
WebM	640x360	1.63 Mbits/sec	820.16 MB	View	Download
iPod Video	480x270	501.13 kbits/sec	245.92 MB	View	Download
MP3	44100 Hz	251.89 kbits/sec	123.61 MB	Listen	Download
Auto *	(Allows browser to choose a format it supports)