Jaime M. Yassif, Ph.D.
Vice President, Global Biological Policy and Programs
NTI | bio VP Urges Action Against Emerging Risks to Prevent Biotechnology Catastrophe
NTI | bio Vice President Dr. Jaime Yassif authored a new article for the May 2022 volume of the CTC Sentinel, a monthly independent publication of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. Yassif’s article, “Preventing Catastrophic Bioterrorism: Guarding Against Exploitation of the Life Sciences and Biotechnology,” explains that bioscience and biotechnology advances offer extraordinary promise, but they are also accompanied by emerging biological risks—specifically the potential for catastrophic accidents or deliberate misuse by malicious actors seeking to cause harm. These risks include the possibility that non-state actors could exploit the legitimate global bioscience research and development enterprise to gain the knowledge and materials to develop and disseminate a biological weapon. Along with the need to bolster law enforcement and intelligence capabilities to anticipate and prevent bioterrorism and other biological threats, Yassif cites the need for a new independent organization – the International Biosecurity and Biosafety Initiative for Science (IBBIS) –to strengthen biosecurity norms and develop innovative tools to uphold them.
Read Yassif’s full article on the CTC Sentinel website here.
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