A Worldwide “Experiments of Concern” Resource Portal: Concept, Plan & Development Trajectory Stephen M. Maurer, Robert M Cook-Deegan, Megan Davidson, Elisa D. Harris, Nikki M. Vangsnes, John Steinbruner & Laurie Zoloth I. Summary Advances in the life sciences offer important new ways of understanding and organizing DNA for human use, but also pose significant challenges to ensure that these uses do not include harmful ones, such as inadvertent or deliberate creation of dangerous new organisms that cause harm to people, animals, plants, or the environment. Scientists’ ability to obtain timely and competent advice before conducting “experiments of concern” has been identified as a priority, and we propose a new channel for providing such advice. Recent work commissioned by two of us (JS & EDH) suggests that a precise and narrowly defined “experiments of concern” category would have affected some 2500 researchers at 300 facilities in the US between 2000 and mid-2005. 1 We are currently seeking in joint funding from the Carnegie, MacArthur, and Sloan Foundations to build an on-line Portal where interested parties can obtain advice about actual or potential experiments of concern. If granted, this will permit us to construct and operate the proposed Portal for one (1) year. We expect this initial experience to validate the Portal’s value and (if appropriate) justify additional requests for support beyond the first year. Joint funding will send a powerful signal that foundations expect users to obtain impartial, outside advice before proceeding. Joint funding will also let multiple Foundations provide advice and input. We plan to use this input, along with conversations with other stakeholders (academic scientists, IBCs, and NSABB members) to refine the current Portal design in ways that best reflect the scientific community’s needs and enhance the ability of existing biosafety and biosecurity bodies to perform their missions. As set forth below, the Portal will provide a convenient, confidential on-line service where individual scientists and institutions can obtain clearly and timely advice and information about the ethical, social, legal, and scientific issues raised by proposed experiments. It will also provide constructive advice so that scientists can modify proposed projects to make them safer and more prudent. Establishing a mechanism to conduct reviews of research proposals that raise “dual use” concerns will complement and build on other projects that have explored this issue by proposing and conducting peer review. 2 The Portal would also provide an open (unclassified) knowledge base for more permanent, government-mandated solutions. 1 The research in question involved a survey of journal articles published in the US during that timeframe. See John Steinbruner, Elisa D. Harris, Nancy Gallagher, Stacy Okutani, Controlling Dangerous Pathogens: A Prototype Protective Oversight System,” December 2005 at pp. 64-5. 2 J.Steinbruner et al., supra.