Synthetic biology: Recent progress, biosafety and biosecurity concerns, and possible solutions
March 2019
Synthetic biology is a new interdisciplinary research area that uses engineering principles as guidelines for biological investigation. With research goals to modify existing biological systems or to...
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Biosafety and biosecurity in the era of biotechnology: The Middle East region
December 2022
Biotechnology became a paradigm-shifting science among all subfields of biology. The benefits of biotechnology have reached many practical fields, whether human health, animal, and/or agricultural....
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Optimization of cryopreservation of pathogenic microbial strains
December 2020
The preservation of pathogenic microbial strains is of great significance for basic research in microbiology and utilization of microbial resources. Appropriate preservation methods can maintain high...
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Laboratory information management system for biosafety laboratory: Safety and efficiency
June 2021
Laboratory information management system (LIMS) has been widely used to facilitate laboratory activities. However, the current LIMSs do not contain functions to improve the safety of laboratory work,...
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Biosafety and biosecurity
March 2019
With the profound changes in the international security situation, the progression of globalization, and the continuous advancement of biotechnology, the risks and challenges posed by major infectious...
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Outbreak of an emerging zoonotic Nipah virus: An emerging concern
June 2023
The Nipah virus (NiV) infection is one of the newly emerging deadly zoonotic diseases which carries a significant weightage of mortality among its victims. Due to the relatively recent history of its...
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Biosafety and biosecurity in the era of synthetic biology: Meeting the challenges in China and the U.S.
September 2019
On July 26, 2019, the workshop “Biosafety and Biosecurity in the Era of Synthetic Biology: Meeting the Challenges in China and the U.S.”, co-hosted by Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and Tianjin...
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Biosafety laboratory risk assessment
September 2019
Biosafety laboratory risk assessment is a dynamic and systematic work. The scope of the assessment involves evaluation of pathogenic microbial hazards, experimental activities, facilities and equipment,...
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Challenges and recent progress in the governance of biosecurity risks in the era of synthetic biology
June 2022
Considerable progress has been achieved in basic research and the biotechnological application of biological sciences in recent years. Synthetic biology integrates systems biology, engineering, computer...
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Ethical framework on risk governance of synthetic biology
June 2023
Synthetic biology is an emerging multidisciplinary field that aims to design and construct new biological systems not found in nature. Whereas synthetic biology may yield tremendous benefits, it may...
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Comparison of the binding energies of approved mpox drugs and phytochemicals through molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation, and ADMET studies: An in silico approach
September 2023
•The binding affinity of Tecovirimat, Brincidofovir, Cidofovir against the mpox protein was examined in silico through molecular docking.•The binding affinity of such drugs/mAbs was compared with the...
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Applications of the One Health concept: Current status in the Middle East
March 2023
•The concept of One Health is one of the most important topics of modern health that the world seeks to apply.•Manitaining and enhancing human, plant, and animal health from the aspect of One Health.•The...
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A brief history of the development of infectious disease prevention, control, and biosafety programs in China
March 2020
Safety of human beings has always been threatened by infectious diseases. In the process of fighting them, humans have continuously explored and researched the pathogens, transmission routes, prevention,...
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Human genome editing after the “CRISPR babies”: The double-pacing problem and collaborative governance
March 2023
How to ensure the safe, effective, and ethical use of emerging biotechnologies, such as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-based genome editing, is a global challenge....
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Water sanitation and hygiene in Sub-Saharan Africa: Coverage, risks of diarrheal diseases, and urbanization
June 2021
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has a rapidly growing urban population, with water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services representing the central needs for this population. Incidentally, this region has...
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Mobile biosafety level (BSL) 2 laboratories deployment: Strengthening the diagnostic facilities in Pakistan with emerging public health challenges and the way forward
June 2023
Availability of mobile laboratories can facilitate rapid on-spot detection of pathogens, monitor its presence in certain populations and inform health authorities to take immediate remedial measures....
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Public awareness, participation and attitude toward the national biosafety framework and genetically modified organisms in Ghana
December 2021
Public engagement in the development, promotion, and utilization of innovation is an important part of any biosafety decision-making process. Under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, the public is...
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Physico-chemical quality of ashes post-incineration and waste from laboratory automaton biochemistry, hematology and serology in Togo
September 2023
Biochemistry, hematology and serology laboratories produce very heterogeneous discharges capable of polluting water, soil and the environment. The aim of this study is to evaluate the physico-chemical...
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Current status and future challenges of high-level biosafety laboratories in China
September 2019
High-level biosafety laboratories are safe and secure platforms which integrate reliable containment, well-trained personnel, and specific biosafety manuals and practices to protect researchers from...
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Origin and evolutionary analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant
June 2022
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has evolved rapidly into new variants throughout the pandemic. The Omicron variant has more than 50 mutations when compared with the...
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A review of the risk of cholera outbreaks and urbanization in sub-Saharan Africa
December 2020
The sub-Saharan region of Africa is rapidly urbanizing, that has consequently spurred the development of specific challenges in terms of access to basic services and sanitation. Thus, exposure to waterborne...
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Deliberate release: Plague – A review
March 2020
Yersinia pestis is the causative agent of plague and is considered one of the most likely pathogens to be used as a bioweapon. In humans, plague is a severe clinical infection that can rapidly progress...
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Rethinking biosecurity in the 21st century: An enhanced role for civil society
September 2023
In this paper, we briefly discuss the historical issues concerning the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) and analyse the current situation after the COVID-19 pandemic with emphasis on the...
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Development of and prospects for the biological weapons convention
June 2022
Biological weapons are used in wars to wound or kill people or animals and destroy crops with pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses, as well as toxins and other biologically active...
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Laboratory biosafety and biosecurity related education in Pakistan: Engaging students through the Socratic method of learning
June 2021
Laboratory biosafety is currently a major global issue in clinical research and academic laboratories. To alleviate these concerns, subject-specific education of standardized laboratory practices is...
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