After months of deliberation and debate, one of the papers considered a threat to global biosecurity has been published in the journal Nature. It describes four mutations introduced by Kawaoka and his team in making a genetically engineered bird flu virus that can potentially pass from human to human.
Plans to publish this study, and another similar one, were flagged by US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) who feared the scientific information could be used as a recipe for biological weapons if they fall into the wrong hands.
As a result, publication of the two papers was halted and scientists working on transmission of H5N1 worldwide imposed a moratorium on their work until the risks were understood.
A handful of discussion meeting were held, one hosted by WHO and another by the Royal Society in London where scientists, regulators and publishers were engaged in rigorous contemplation. In the end, the NSABB reversed its stand and many assessments reports declared that the benefits of the research far outweigh the risks.