Scientific Responsibility in Research on Dangerous Pathogens
About the Event
Research on dangerous pathogens presents some of the most difficult questions at the intersection of science, ethics, and public policy. Research intended to improve our understanding of infectious diseases can produce important benefits, but some experiments may also create risks to researchers and the public.
This event will examine the history and controversies surrounding dangerous gain-of-function research, the governance and oversight of high-risk pathogen research, and the responsibilities of scientists and research institutions when scientific work has the potential to cause significant harm.
The discussion will also consider the ongoing debate over the origin of COVID-19 and what that debate has revealed about biosafety, transparency, scientific responsibility, and the governance of research involving dangerous pathogens.
The event will open with virtual welcome remarks from Rutgers President William F. Tate IV and will feature scientists who have been leading voices in discussions of high-risk biological research.
Speakers
Professor Emeritus, Institut Pasteur
Simon Wain-Hobson is a molecular virologist and longtime advocate for stronger oversight of research involving dangerous pathogens. His laboratory at the Institut Pasteur was the first to publish the nucleotide sequence of HIV. He has been a prominent international voice in debates over gain-of-function research, biosafety, and the responsibilities of scientists conducting research that could pose risks to the public.
Wain-Hobson's honors include the André Lwoff Prize and the Athena Prize of the French Academy of Sciences. He is a member of EMBO and Academia Europaea, has been named an Officer of the French Legion of Honour, and was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to virology.
Board of Governors Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University
Richard H. Ebright is a molecular biologist whose research focuses on the structure, mechanism, and regulation of bacterial transcription and the development of new antibacterial agents. He has also been a vocal advocate for strengthening biosafety and biosecurity and has participated extensively in public and policy discussions concerning gain-of-function research and the oversight of high-risk biological research.
Ebright is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Microbiology, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
Professor of Anesthesiology and Professor of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Columbia University
Neil L. Harrison is a neuroscientist and pharmacologist whose research has focused on neurophysiology, biophysics, pharmacology, and the molecular mechanisms through which drugs and alcohol affect the nervous system. He has authored more than 160 scientific publications and has served as Director of Graduate Studies for Pharmacology at Columbia and for Neuroscience at Weill Cornell.
Harrison's research has also included studies of SARS-CoV-2 viral ion channels and the identification of biomarkers associated with coagulopathy and clinical outcomes in severe COVID-19. He has been actively engaged in the scientific debate over the origin of COVID-19, including co-authoring a 2022 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences article calling for an independent inquiry into the origin of SARS-CoV-2.
About The Purpose of Science Lecture Series
The Purpose of Science Lecture Series: Conversations on Science, Society, and Responsibility brings scientists, journalists, policymakers, and other public voices to Rutgers for open discussion of consequential questions at the intersection of science, ethics, and society.
The series seeks to foster intellectual curiosity, open inquiry, interdisciplinary dialogue, and scientific responsibility.
Support the Series
If you value open discussion of difficult and consequential questions about science and its responsibilities to society, please consider supporting the series. Donations of any size will help sustain and expand this initiative.
To make a tax-deductible contribution through the Rutgers Foundation: