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Heightened biosecurity protocols passed in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks have made research into dangerous pathogens like anthrax more expensive, according to a study released this month (see GSN, April 21).
In the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team of researchers concluded that federal regulations on the use of "select agents" mandated by the 2001 Patriot Act and the 2002 Bioterrorism Preparedness Act had not hindered research into the Ebola virus and anthrax but had increased the cost of the work, the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy reported.
Select agents are defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as "biological agents and toxins that could pose a severe threat to public health and safety." The list includes potential bioterrorism agents such as the smallpox virus, ricin, anthrax bacteria and botulinum neurotoxins.
According to the analysis, every $1 million in federal funding spent on anthrax research studies before 2002 produced an average of 17 papers. That number fell to only three after the laws passed. Ebola research papers also decreased, going from an average of 14 per $1 million before 2002 to six afterward.
Researchers said the numbers "clearly indicate that the efficiency of select agent research fell sharply after passage of the laws."
Additionally, the researchers found that the heightened restrictions did not lead to a centralizing of research around a few select "gatekeeper institutions" as was originally expected (Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy release, May 11).