by Rachel Patzer
News Writer
A St. Louis University professor has sparked controversy and ethical debate concerning public access to potentially lethal agents by creating a deadly version of the mousepox virus.
Professor of molecular microbiology R. Mark Buller recently genetically engineered a lethal version of pox in mice as part of research to find a human vaccine for pox viruses, including the smallpox virus, which has been feared to be a potential bioterrorism agent.
To create the lethal virus, Buller inserted the mousepox virus into a mouse gene that halts the production of the protein interleukin-4, which then disrupts the immune response.
Buller hoped that in creating the lethal mousepox, he would also develop a strategy to treat the versions of the lethal virus in both mice and in humans.
Buller recently presented his findings at a biodefense meeting last month in Geneva, and raised the particular concern of whether bioterrorists could use smallpox-related viruses for harmful purposes. A more lethal virus may be able to evade vaccinations and could threaten public health.
Buller is planning on publishing his findings, but some scientists think the publication of this information is irresponsible.
“While I don’t think that Al Qaeda on its own will use this information, that doesn’t mean that North Korea or other terrorist groups will not,” said Dennis Maki, head of infectious disease at University of Wisconsin Hospital. “Germ warfare scientists could use this to make very virulent strains.”
Conversely, Maki said no scientist wants the information hidden because it creates an open discourse for discussion and the reality of life is that it seeps out in to the scientific community anyway.
Maki said that if published, the recipe for the creation of the virus will be available to all, and this is not very responsible. Others do not think the publication of the research poses a serious threat, and would not like scientific information suppressed.
“Right now, many of these things that people are worried about constitute little threat. I’m more concerned about smallpox itself. Even without manipulation [of smallpox], the virus is very dangerous, and it is not possible for everyone to be immunized,” said UW professor of medical microbiology and immunology William Weidanz.
Smallpox immunizations have a higher rate of complications than most vaccines, and a higher number of people die from these vaccinations, said Weidanz.
Ronald M. Atlas, previous committee chair of the National Research Council committee for the American Society of Microbiology, said that right now there is no universal process for reviewing scientific literature that has the potential of giving information to bioterrorists.
“In July, [American Society of Microbiology] issued a statement that called upon all journals to look at materials and to make proper judgment calls. We want to make sure the benefits outweigh the dangers,” Atlas said.
Atlas said that it is the editorial board of each individual journal that will determine the content of their publication, and it is up to them to make the right decision.
Taylor Tooley, a second-year graduate student in UW’s Microbiology Doctoral Training Program said scientists must balance the potential for scientific advances with the potential for misuse.
“I would hope that public fear of bioterrorism does not lead to excessive secrecy of scientific information,” Tooley said.
As Maki said, the situation can often be a catch-22.
“We live in a dangerous world but we also cherish our freedom to say what we want and publish what we want,” Maki said.
