Biotechnology
How can we prevent future pandemics and accelerate progress in the life sciences?
COVID-19 has revealed both strengths and weaknesses in response to biological threats. On the one hand, the pandemic exposed how weak and ineffectual our public health systems are at controlling highly contagious airborne respiratory diseases. On the other hand, the urgency of the moment — combined with decades of previous investment — enabled us to deliver mRNA vaccines in less than nine months. Biotechnology contains much more low-hanging fruit that is ripe to be picked — if only we can implement the right public policies.
Biotechnology

Latest Publication
How Scientific Incentives Stalled the Fight Against Antibiotic Resistance, and How We Can Fix It
A million-peptide database could help us solve antibiotic resistance.
Read the full report
Biotechnology

The Case for Clinical Trial Abundance
A series of short papers outlining reform possibilities for America's clinical trials
Read the full report
Biotechnology

An Innovation Agenda for Addiction
We can advance the development of breakthrough medicines to reduce addiction at scale
Read the full report
Biotechnology

Securing Benchtop DNA Synthesizers
As the field of benchtop DNA synthesis evolves, it will require ongoing monitoring.
Read the full report
Biotechnology Research Team
Biotechnology

Biosecurity in the Trump Era
We highlight five key moves the new administration could make to improve the nation's biosecurity
Read the full report
Biotechnology

The Triple Rapid Framework for Pandemic Diagnostics
Rapid reconfiguration, rapid deployment, and rapid results could help contain future outbreaks at their source
Read the full report
Biotechnology

Mapping America’s Biosurveillance
A comprehensive visual map of the entities that monitor biological threats across the U.S. federal government
Read the full report
Biotechnology

Congress Can Improve our Pandemic Preparedness
Strengthening the Federal Select Agent Program would mean better oversight of biotech laboratories
Read the full report
Biotechnology

Using PAHPA to Address Biosecurity Threats
A letter to House and Senate health committee leaders on making sure PAHPA mitigates biosecurity risks
Read the full report
Biotechnology

How Project NextGen Can Create Better Vaccines
A response to BARDA's request for information on the development of next generation medical countermeasures
Read the full report
Biotechnology

Preventing the Misuse of Breakthrough Health Research
A response to ARPA-H's request for information on ethical, legal, and social implications of technology development
Read the full report
Biotechnology

Making the CDC Modern
A response to the CDC's request for information on modernizing the agency
Read the full report
Biotechnology

Mitigating Risks from Dual-Use Research
A response to OSTP's request for information on developing a policy for research with certain pathogens
Read the full report
Biotechnology

How ARPA-H’s Use-Inspired Research Can Accelerate Progress in Health
Focusing on pandemic prevention will help the new agency achieve its ambitious goals – if it takes the right risks
Read the full report
Biotechnology

How At-Home Rapid Tests Could Help Prevent the Next Pandemic
Loosening restrictions on at-home rapid tests will mitigate future outbreaks
Read the full report
Biotechnology

How AI Can Help Prevent Biosecurity Disasters
A response to OSTP's request for information on a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy
Read the full report
Biotechnology

Indoor Air Quality Is the Next Great Public Health Challenge
Cleaner indoor air can increase productivity, improve student outcomes, and prevent pandemics
Read the full report
Biotechnology

Preparing for Pandemic Preparedness Legislation
Nine legislative ideas to improve our biosecurity response
Read the full report
Biotechnology

Preventing the Misuse of DNA Synthesis
The risk of engineered viruses increases as synthetic biology gets cheaper
Read the full report
Biotechnology

What Are the Odds H5N1 Is Worse Than COVID-19?
And what can we do to stop H5N1 from becoming a pandemic?
Read the full report
Biotechnology

How To Reuse the Operation Warp Speed Model
To replicate the success of OWS, we need to identify the specific characteristics that made it effective
Read the full report
Biotechnology

Three Reasons Congress Should Fund Biodefense
Cutting the Chemical Biological Defense Program would be penny-wise and pound-foolish
Read the full report
Biotechnology

Research Into Far-UVC Systems Can Help Us Prevent the Next Pandemic
A response to the EPA's request for information on better indoor air quality management
Read the full report
Biotechnology

Dwindling Food Reserves Are a National Security Risk
Policymakers have allowed the critical national security tool of food reserves to rust
Read the full report
Biotechnology

Food Reserves, Global Food Security, and International Stability
Incentivizing farmers to hold food reserves would protect global food security
Read the full report
Biotechnology

Why the Department of Defense Should Invest in Biosurveillance
Building integrated, layered, and pathogen-agnostic detection systems
Read the full report
Biotechnology

Weighing the Cost of the Pandemic
Knowing what we know now, how much damage did COVID-19 cause in the United States?
Read the full report
Biotechnology

Creating Advance Market Commitments and Prizes for Pandemic Preparedness
Read the full report