Biosecurity Fundamentals

The US State Department report is released each April and provides an assessment of states' adherence to arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament agreements and commitments. We see this as a useful resource giving some evidence of modern BW activity and for you to consider the role of intelligence agencies in assessing BWC compliance. However, we would also encourage reflection regarding the specific language used and how/what information is presented. The US has written this with the intention of publishing it openly, so it is worth considering their broader geopolitical motivations when reading.

Original text: https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-Arms-Control-Treaty-Compliance-Report.pdf

Author(s): US Department of State

This resource provides an overview of the Biological Weapons Convention, a disarmament treaty that bans the development, production, acquisition, transfer, stockpiling and use of biological weapons. Despite 187 states being party to the treaty, there are substantial challenges including a lack of funding and difficulty verifying compliance.

Original text: https://disarmament.unoda.org/publications/the-biological-weapons-convention/

Author(s): United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs

In this post, Kyle Fish presents five key goals for biosecurity technologies: to be fast, general, cheap, robust, and scalable. These will be useful heuristics for us to apply as we consider a range of interventions over the next three weeks. Kyle was previously the CTO at Alvea, a vaccine start-up which became the fastest startup to take a new drug from founding to a Phase 1 clinical trial.

Original text: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/rjFJYREBZZscvDwLu/a-framework-for-technical-progress-on-biosecurity

Author(s): Kyle Fish

This paper introduces a framing of "differential technology development" – affecting the relative timing of new innovations to reduce a specific risk. For instance, it may be beneficial to delay or halt risk-increasing technologies and preferentially advance risk-reducing defensive, safety, or substitute technologies. As you read, consider how you might apply this framing to biosecurity risks associated with developments in AI and biotechnology (this week's pre-class exercise).

Original text: https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:b481e9ad-bc27-4550-87ca-f414354aeb35

Author(s): Jonas B. Sandbrink, Hamish Hobbs, Jacob L. Swett, Allan Dafoe, Anders Sandberg

ESM3 is an AI model which is trained on protein sequence, structure and function data. This allows it to follow prompts to design novel proteins. When reading, consider the ways in which this model might present opportunities and risks for pandemic preparedness.

Original text: https://www.evolutionaryscale.ai/blog/esm3-release

Author(s): Evolutionary Scale blog

Original text: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7103698/

Author(s): Amesh Adalja and Thomas Inglesby

Original text: https://drive.google.com/file/d/19dxfYiUnrK4fR5EJW3Nb2zkpgvsEC28y/view?usp=sharing

Author(s): Roger Brent, T. Greg McKelvey, Jr., and Jason Matheny

This resource from 'Our World in Data' estimates the death tolls from the most devastating pandemics in history, with a particular focus on the 19th century onwards.

Original text: https://ourworldindata.org/historical-pandemics

Author(s): Our World in Data

"Vital workers must be protected against viral threats so that critical functions of society can continue during a global pandemic. Globally, COVID-19 revealed weaknesses in the PPE enterprise including production and distribution limitations, counterfeit and poor-quality products, and inadequate stockpiles. End users struggled with design limitations that often reduced the level of protection they were afforded and made completing their work more difficult. Moreover, requirements for PPE that could protect against a future pandemic involving a feasible, worst-case pathogen were under-characterized. This study strives to identify strategies to improve the PPE ecosystem to prepare the world for the next pandemic by ensuring that vital workers have the PPE they need to perform their jobs safely."

Original text: https://blueprintbiosecurity.org/u/2024/05/Towards-a-Theory-of-Pandemic-Proof-PPE-Blueprint.pdf

Author(s): Blueprint Biosecurity and Gryphon Scientific

"Cleaner indoor air can increase productivity, improve student outcomes, and prevent pandemics."

Original text: https://ifp.org/indoor-air-quality/

Author(s): Juan Cambeiro and Brian Potter