Dated - October 15, 2015
Dear Colleagues,
The Royal Irish Academy, Ireland’s leading expert body for the sciences and the humanities, and a member of the European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC), will host a breakfast briefing on the latest EASAC report on ‘Gain of Function: Experimental Applications Relating to Potentially Pandemic Pathogens’ in Academy House, Dawson Street, on Thursday 29 October, 9.30am-11.30am.
The EASAC report was produced by a working group of 17 expert scientists nominated by EASAC member academies across 10 European countries. In the specific context considered by this report ‘gain of function (GoF)’ refers to the experimental modification of the influenza virus, particularly the H5N1 variant, to alter its transmission potential with the aim of better understanding the factors that determine its pandemic potential to spread from animals to human, and between humans through an aersol route.
This report is particularly timely, as it considers current controversies about the possible impact of GoF research with regard to biosafety (i.e. the safety of researchers conducting this research and the general public) and biosecurity (i.e. the potential for use as a biological weapon). This report emphasises a layered approach to biosafety with integration of responsibilities and action at researcher, research institution, research funder, national EU, and global levels. The report also concludes that there is no need for a new advisory body at EU level, or the establishment of a moratorium on GoF research, as is currently in force in the US.
The briefing will be organised into a roundtable format and will be delivered by the Academy’s expert nominee to the working group, Professor Bert Rima, MRIA, (Queen’s University Belfast) and will be followed by a Q&A session.
The full report will be sent to you in advance of the briefing.
If you are interested in attending please RSVP to Anisa Brennan (a.brennan@ria.ie).
Yours sincerely,
Professor Peter Kennedy
Secretary for Policy and International Relations