Keeping up with Biosecurity - Monthly Roundups by Iris
Biosecurity news, once a month, in about five minutes: biosecurity policy and governance, pandemic preparedness, gene synthesis screening, AI and biosecurity, pathogen surveillance and early warning, biosafety and lab incidents, biodefense, and vaccines and medical countermeasures. Every story links to its sources.
Latest: October 2026
US adopts broader oversight for federally funded pathogen research
- The White House policy bans seven categories of dangerous gain-of-function research, extends review to all pathogens, and creates an independent review board:
- The UK has committed £100 million to an independent AI Biosecurity Lab, alongside up to £200 million in commitments from OpenAI and Anthropic:
- The JRC's dual-duplex PCR method distinguishes avian influenza from seasonal flu in wastewater and is being piloted in Lombardy:
- October 20264 min listen
US adopts broader oversight for federally funded pathogen research
In this report October moved biosecurity from open proposals toward implementation in several places: US pathogen-research oversight now has a policy framework, the UK has funded a new AI-biosecurity institution, and surveillance has…
- September 20265 min listen
House committee reports Nucleic Acid Standards Act
In this report September moved biosecurity from broad preparedness principles toward instruments that can measure governance, regulate synthesis screening and test safeguards around AI-enabled biology. The House reported the Nucleic Acid…
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