On Sept. 9th, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced plans to modernize their biosafety regulatory framework. Details and more information can be found here and here.
The NIH has indicated the new regulations will align with risk, lower regulatory burden for low-risk research, expand oversight beyond work with recombinant and synthetic nucleic acids, and empower IBCs.
The NIH has pledged to make this a transparent process. It will be a significant endeavor and the largest biosafety regulatory overhaul since the NIH Guidelines on recombinant DNA research were first released 50 years ago. This process will take a year and will involve soliciting input from stakeholders, such as researchers. The NIH has announced the first listening session for Sept. 30th.
Although this session is not specifically targeted to our geographical region, it is strongly recommended that researchers attend, if possible, due to the significance of this regulatory overhaul. Another notice will be sent out when the listening session for our region is announced.
Please email Debbie Eckert with any questions or concerns.
