The Pandora Report

Welcome to this week’s Pandora Report! This issue highlights a rapidly evolving hantavirus outbreak abroad the MV Hondius cruise ship and the broader implications for global health security, outbreak reporting, and risk communication in the post-COVID-19 era. We also cover emerging concerns surrounding H5N1 transmission, biodefense and biosecurity developments, institutional preparedness challenges, and upcoming events shaping the future of pandemic preparedness and biotechnology governance.  

Hantavirus at Sea: A Test for Global Health Security 

By Alex Kyabarongo 

Alex Kyabarongo is a second-year MS Biodefense student from Uganda with special interests in global health security policy and biothreat reduction programs. 

On May 2, 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) received notification from the National  International Health Regulations (IHR) Focal Point of the United Kingdom about an outbreak with respiratory symptoms aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic. Although the cause of the outbreak was initially unknown, cases were later confirmed to involve the Andes strain of hantavirus. As of May 13, the WHO reported 11 total cases, including 9 confirmed and 2 probable cases. Three passengers succumbed to the disease, with the first death occurring on April 11. Of the three reported deaths, two were confirmed positive for hantavirus. Epidemiological investigations are underway to determine the source of exposure that led to the outbreak. 

The cruise ship, the MV Hondius, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, departed from the Argentine city of Ushuaia on April 1, 2026. Public awareness of the outbreak began on April 12, when a passenger released a video filmed during an onboard announcement regarding the death of an individual aboard the vessel the previous day, according to the operating company. The announcement triggered panic among passengers, prompting some individuals to disembark when the ship reached the island of Saint Helena in the south Atlantic. Those passengers subsequently travelled to several countries, including the United States, Canada, Turkey, New Zealand, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. At this point, the WHO had not yet been formally notified of the outbreak, raising concerns about whether exposed individuals may have already travelled internationally while incubating the virus. Health officials have since initiated contact tracing efforts to identify those who may have been in contact with these passengers as they returned to their home countries.  

Hantavirus belongs to a family of viruses mainly spread by rodents. Transmission usually occurs when a person inhales aerosolized viral particles from rodent saliva, urine, or droppings. Hantaviruses generally cause two major syndromes: Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), more commonly reported in Latin America and primarily affects the respiratory system, and Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS), more common in Europe and Asia and primarily affects the kidneys. The current outbreak involves HPS caused by the Andes strain of hantavirus. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Andes strain has an incubation period of 4 to 42 days.  

Cruise ships can facilitate disease transmission because of close social interactions and shared environments. In the last two years, at least 4 major outbreaks have occurred on a cruise ship, including norovirus, Legionnaires disease, Salmonella and now hantavirus. Fortunately, the hantavirus has a relatively low basic reproduction number (R₀), with limited person-to-person transmissibility and low pandemic potential. Following notification of the WHO, epidemiologists were dispatched to the cruise ship to investigate the outbreak while international contact tracing efforts continued for passengers who had previously disembarked.  

This outbreak raises several important questions regarding global health security. The first concern relates to the delayed communication from the cruise ship. According to the WHO IHR, a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) must be reported within 24 hours of confirmation. While hantavirus is not a PHEIC, its occurrence on a crowded cruise ship should have warranted reporting for prompt response, but it took three weeks for this to happen. The first death on the cruise ship occurred on April 11, yet the WHO did not receive official notification until May 2 and only communicated publicly about the outbreak through its Disease Outbreak News on May 4. By this time, several passengers had already disembarked and travelled internationally. Had this outbreak involved a highly transmissible pathogen, the delayed reporting and response could have posed a much greater public health risk. Consequently, this gap in information sharing was exploited by social media alarmists who amplified the fears surrounding the outbreak before official information became available, creating panic about the possibility of yet another pandemic like COVID-19. Much of this panic stemmed from the onboard video that circulated online following the first recorded death on the cruise ship.  

The effects of this misinformation became evident in Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands of Spain, where the cruise ship was planning to dock for the evacuation of the passengers. On learning about this plan, the residents of Tenerife staged protests as they opposed allowing the cruise ship to dock on their island for fear of being exposed to the virus. Their fears were ignited and amplified by social media panic about the pandemic potential of hantavirus and exacerbated by unrelated hantavirus cases that had been reported in Israel during the same week. Although these cases are not linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak, media reports and social media discussions increasingly correlated the two events, contributing to public anxiety. The residents’ fears and concerns were later debunked by the WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who, in a written message, reassured the people of Tenerife that the evacuation process would be handled safely and that the local community would be protected. With this effort from the WHO in coordination with the Spanish public health officials, all passengers and some crew members have been evacuated, and the vessel is now heading to Rotterdam. The situation in Tenerife clearly shows how misinformation campaigns can fuel and exacerbate panic amidst public health emergencies.  

The Hantavirus outbreak on MV Hondius has revived memories of the early days of COVID-19, which also featured a high-profile outbreak on a cruise ship early in the pandemic. During the initial stage of COVID-19, uncertainty, delayed communication, and rapidly spreading misinformation contributed to widespread panic. While the current outbreak appears to have been contained, it has demonstrated that many gaps in national and global responses to COVID-19 remain insufficiently addressed, particularly regarding rapid reporting and risk communication. Such situations should remind us of the continuing vulnerabilities within the global health security systems. Although the Andes strain of hantavirus has limited transmissibility, the public reaction to the outbreak illustrates how quickly fear and misinformation can spread in an increasingly interconnected world still shaped by the memory of COVID-19. Therefore, we should recognize the importance of timely outbreak reporting, coordinated international response mechanisms, and responsible risk communication during public health emergencies. 

GMU Biodefense Director Quoted in Newsweek on Global Biolab Investigations 

Professor Gregory Koblentz, Associate Professor and Director of the Biodefense Graduate Program at George Mason University, was recently quoted in a Newsweek article examining the Trump administration’s investigation into more than 120 U.S.-funded biological laboratories operating in over 30 countries. In his comments, Koblentz cautioned that allegations surrounding these laboratories reflect broader Russian and Chinese disinformation narratives alleging U.S.-supported biological weapons activities in Ukraine. He also emphasized that efforts to politicize international public health and biodefense cooperation risk undermining scientific collaboration and distract from more significant biological and chemical weapons threats.  

CDC Confirms First Documented Cat-to-Human Transmission of Bird Flu 

By Margeaux Malone, Pandora Report Associate Editor 

Public health investigators have documented the first known case of highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) transmission from a domestic cat to a human, according to a report published May 7 in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 

Between November 2024 and January 2025, 19 pet cats in Los Angeles County, California became severely ill after consuming commercially purchased raw milk, raw meat, or raw pet food. Nine tested positive for H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b, the same strain responsible for most human H5N1 infections in recent years. Fourteen of the cats died or were euthanized. 

Investigators with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) and CDC identified 139 people exposed to the infected cats, including 11 individuals from five households, 126 veterinary staff from 10 hospitals, one animal control worker that transported the deceased cats, and one from a local health department. Although 30 people reported flu-like symptoms, none tested positive for H5N1 by PCR. In April 2025, the cohort exposed were invited to participate in a serologic investigation as part of an H5N1 survey. Of the 25 volunteers that underwent serologic testing, one asymptomatic veterinary professional showed evidence of antibodies against both clade 2.3.4.4.b B3.13 and D1.1 influenza A(H5N1) viruses. The investigators noted that this veterinary professional had not used personal protective equipment (PPE) over their mouth or eyes during the exposure, did not report flu-like illness after the exposure, and reported no other known risk factors for infection 

Public health officials emphasize the overall risk to the general public remains low but urge pet owners to avoid feeding cats raw animal products and recommend that veterinary professionals use appropriate PPE when treating animals with respiratory or neurologic illness that could indicate H5N1 infection. 

Further Reading:  

• “Serological Evidence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1) in Invasive Wild Pigs in Western Canada,” OL Garcia, et al, Transboundary and Emerging Diseases 
• “New Agreement Brings Assurance of Flu Pandemic Preparedness to Caribbean, Latin America,” Meaghan Lee Callaghan, Infectious Disease Special Edition 
• “2 European countries record new farm avian flu outbreaks,” Jackie Linden, WATTPoultry 

IN OTHER NEWS 

Hantavirus Outbreak News 

• “Rapid risk assessment: Hantavirus (Andes virus) outbreak on international cruise ship,” Government of Canada 
• “Experts wonder ‘Where is the CDC?’ as a hantavirus outbreak unfolds on a cruise ship,” Mike Stobbe, AP News 
• “‘Empty and vapid’ CDC finally responds to hantavirus outbreak. But experts say it’s too little, too late,” Edward Helmore, The Guardian  
• “Hantavirus Response Shows How Trump Cuts Have Compromised U.S. Preparedness,” Apoorva Mandavilli, NY Times   
• “The Hantavirus Outbreak Is Resurrecting Covid-Era Misinformation Tactics,” Teddy Rosenbluth and Steven Lee Myers, NY Times  
• “Hantavirus misinformation runs rampant as the US is unequipped to respond to infectious disease health scare,” Melody Schreiber, The Guardian 
• “There is no vaccine for deadly hantavirus: what that means for future outbreaks,” Mohana Basu, Nature  
• “How Argentina kept the hantavirus at bay during a 2019 outbreak,” Youri Benadjaoud and Ivan Pereira, ABC News 
• “Argentina Races to Find Origin of Hantavirus Contagion,” Emma Bubola, NY Times  
• “British paratroopers land on Tristan da Cunha for suspected hantavirus case,” Press Association, The Guardian   
• “Omaha’s UNMC to quarantine, monitor 17 Americans from cruise ship hit by hantavirus,” Cindy Gonzalez, Nebraska Examiner  

Public Health Preparedness and Institutional Erosion 

• “Trump administration cuts CDC’s key role in global program to stop HIV,” Jon Cohen, Science 
• “Virologist accused of starting COVID-19 will fight U.S. ban on funding,” Jon Cohen, Science  
• “Kennedy Is Driving a Vast Inquiry Into Vaccines, Despite His Public Silence,” Christina Jewett and Sheryl Gay Stolberg, NY Times  
• “KFF Health Tracking Poll: Public Views on Foreign Aid and Global Health Spending,” Isabelle Valdes, Audrey Kearney, Mardet Mulugeta, Alex Montero, and Lunna Lopes, KFF 
• “Ready or Not 2026: Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism,” Trust for America’s Health  
• “NIH grant terminations had outsized effect on minority researchers, data suggest,” Laine Bergeson, CIDRAP  
• “The race to understand how rat-virus spreads,” Maeve Cullinan, Sarah Newey, and Paul Nuki, The Telegraph  

Biotechnology, Biosecurity, and Emerging Threats 

• “Project Anthracite: Imagery Search for Possible Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Battalions,” Sean Corbett, 38North   
• “Biological Threats in the Age of Emerging Biotechnology: Proceedings of a Workshop Series,” National Academies  
• “AI can design viruses, toxins and other bioweapons. How worried should we be?” Ewen Callaway, Nature   
• “Rethinking Chemical Weapons Governance in the Age of AI,” Onzila Aziz, Modern Diplomacy  
• “Seeing Through the Molecular Curtain,” Interview with Drew Endy, Erik Malmstrom, Hoover Institution 
• “After USDA request, Indiana plant biologist locked out of lab by school,” Jeffrey Mervis, Science  

Podcasts:  

• “Understanding Why States Use Poison for Assassination,” Naomi Rio and Nicole Wiley, The Insider  
• “Poison arsenal – The deadly return of bioweapons,” This is Not a Drill with Gavin Esler  
• “When biology becomes a threat to us all,” Summit Talks with Filippa Lentzos 
•  “Apocalypse soon? AI could hasten bioweapons,” Economist Podcasts  

NEW: Delivering the 100 Days Mission: Progress, Transition, and What Comes Next  

From the International Pandemic Preparedness Secretariat: “​Join us at the World Health Assembly to take stock of what the 100 Days Mission has achieved so far, hear from country champions and partners, and shape the conversation on how the Mission continues after the end of the IPPS mandate in 2027. 

This in-person event will take place on Sunday, May 17 at 20:00 CET in Geneva. Learn more and register here. 

NEW: Are we ready for the next pandemic threat?  

From The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response: “Six years on from the disaster of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has made some progress to prepare for future health threats. The amended International Health Regulations are in force. The WHO Pandemic Agreement has been adopted. The Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing Annex negotiations continue. Collective action still commands broad support. 

But is it enough? Words have not converted sufficiently to action. The hantavirus outbreak exposes some of the world’s vulnerabilities. Gaps in financing, accountability, and regional research and manufacturing capacity persist. Geopolitical shifts are reshaping international cooperation. Official development assistance from long-standing donors is contracting. And pandemic threats remain.” 

This hybrid event will be held on May 19, 12:30 – 14:00. Learn more and register here. 

NEW: Training Course on ‘Biotechnology Innovation and Biosecurity’ 

From the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) and the Biological Weapons Convention Implementation Support Unit: “This training focuses on strengthening capacities in biosecurity, biosafety, and biological risk management in the context of rapid advances in biotechnology with an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to manage biothreats at the intersection of humans, animals, plants and the environment. It addresses the governance, technical, and operational dimensions of preventing, detecting, and responding to biological threats, while promoting responsible and peaceful scientific research and innovation in accordance with article X of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC).” 

This in-person event will be held from October 12 – 16 in New Delhi, India. Learn more and apply here. 

Responding to Today’s Gaps for Tomorrow’s Health Emergencies: 2026 Ready or Not Report 

From Trust for America’s Health (TFAH): “Join us for a Congressional Briefing and National Webinar on the latest information on public health emergency readiness and findings from TFAH’s recent report, Ready or Not 2026: Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism. 

The past year alone saw the U.S. facing the most severe flu season in nearly a decade, the highest annual measles case count since 1991, and devastating weather-related emergencies. In addition, these challenges occurred alongside deep federal staffing cuts and destabilized funding to the public health system. As TFAH marks its 25th anniversary, the webinar will review the highlights from this year’s report, which measures the nation’s readiness for public health emergencies through 10 indicators of state preparedness to respond to a wide spectrum of health emergencies and to provide ongoing public health services.” 

This webinar will be held on May 19 at 2:00 PM ET. Learn more and register here. 

International Conference CBRNe Research & Innovation  

From CBRNE: “The last 40 years have demonstrated that both military and civilian populations could be exposed to highly hazardous CBRNE agents following conflicts, natural outbreaks and disasters, industrial incidents or terrorist attacks. Worldwide, researchers, responders and industrial capacities have been commited to provide adapted response to these challenges. The CBRNE Research & Innovation Conference includes workshops and demonstrations of innovative materials, technologies and procedures, according to the following themes: Detection (identification), Protection (decontamination, medical countermeasures), and risk & crisis management.  

This event will take place in Arcachon, France, from May 19 – 21, 2026. Learn more and RSVP here. 

Biotechnology and Resilient Human Systems Workshop 2026 

From the MIT Lincoln Laboratory: “The focus of the 2026 Biotechnology and Resilient Human Systems Workshop will be Preparing for Future Biological Effects. This two-day, in-person event will feature sessions highlighting the dual-use nature of biotechnology, building a resilient biosurveillance system, and developing broad medical countermeasures. The workshop will feature keynote presentations from leaders across the U.S. government highlighting critical national security challenges and opportunities created from advanced biotechnology and will also exhibit state-of-the-art research and innovations from the rapidly expanding biotechnology ecosystem. 

Government and industry leaders, national security experts, UARCs, FFRDCS, national labs, entrepreneurs, and academic innovators will jointly discuss and showcase how to rapidly transition biotechnology-enabled technologies into operational capabilities that effectively address critical national security challenges.” 

This in-person event will take place on June 2-3 in Lexington, MA. Learn more and register here. 

From the Ground Up: Federated Biodefense  

From the Atlantic Council: “The Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense at the Atlantic Council will host its latest meeting, surveying federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial government roles, responsibilities and resources. 

Non-federal governments serve on the frontlines of biodefense. As the biological threat continues to grow, those officials who tackle this topic on a daily basis require reinforcement. This meeting of the Commission will discuss the impacts of changes in federal support for state, local, tribal, and territorial biodefense activities, as well as the biodefense roles, responsibilities and investments of non-federal governments. The discussions will also touch upon the personnel, policies and programs needed to bolster preparedness for future biological threats.” 

This event will take place on Thursday, June 4 from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM ET. Further information and registration details to follow.

Public Health Agency of Canada Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Biology and Bioart Summit 2026 

From PHAC: “The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) DIY Biology and Bioart Summit 2026 is the first gathering of Canadian DIY biologists and bioartists organized by PHAC since 2020. This summit will bring together these Canadian bio-innovators with PHAC biosafety and biosecurity experts to provide an opportunity to engage and discuss biosafety and biosecurity challenges and opportunities. The summit will also include a keynote presentation by an international DIY biology expert.” 

This virtual event will be held from June 10 from 10:00 AM – 2:35 PM ET. Learn more and register here. 

GHS 2026

From GHS: “We’re excited to officially announce that the 4th Global Health Security Conference (GHS2026) will be held in Kuala Lumpur on the 9 – 12 June, 2026!”

“Building on the incredible momentum of GHS2024 in Sydney, we look forward to bringing together the global health security community once again – this time in one of Southeast Asia’s most vibrant and dynamic cities.”

“Registration and Call for Abstracts are now live!”

Learn more, submit abstracts, and register here.

Biosecurity Simulation Exercise (BSX 2026): Laboratory Incidents & Deliberate Biothreats 

From the Asia Centre for Health Security: “This table-top simulation exercise aims to enhance inter-sectoral and inter-disciplinary preparedness for laboratory biosafety and biosecurity (LBB) and deliberate biothreat events (DBE). Through lectures, discussions, and structured, scenario-driven exercises, participants will explore decision-making to detect, risk-assess, and manage high-consequence biological incidents under conditions of incomplete information and unfolding events. Participants will collaborate in teams, building on expert perspectives to address issues in surveillance, diagnostics, public health response, security assessment, and risk communication.” 

This in-person event will be held from August 27-28. Learn more and register here. 

INTERPOL Global Biosecurity Conference 2026 – Call for Abstracts  

From INTERPOL: “The 2^nd INTERPOL Global Biosecurity Conference brings together law enforcement and partner agencies, biosecurity experts, and academia from different regions and backgrounds to discuss the latest developments in global biosecurity. We invite biosecurity experts, researchers and scholars to submit an abstract, subject to a selection process, to present your work during the conference. The abstract should cover one of the following topics: global biological threat landscape, indicators and early-warning for biological threats, health and law enforcement coordination, forensics, biosecurity at borders, science and technology innovation, and legal, policy and information-sharing.”  

The call for abstracts is now open, and the applications are due by May 22. Learn more and apply here.  

Bio-attribution Challenge 

From DARPA: “Translate your bio-attribution research into national security impact. In an era of unprecedented biological data generation, the ability to rapidly determine the origin of a biological event — whether natural, accidental, or intentional — is a critical component of national security and public health. To meet the challenge of finding the “needle in a haystack” within this data deluge, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has launched the Bio-Attribution Challenge. 

This virtual competition calls on innovators to develop a new generation of tools capable of analyzing petabyte-scale datasets in near real-time, far exceeding the capacity of current systems. The goal is to revolutionize how we identify and trace the source of biological sequences, ensuring a faster, more effective response to potential threats. Register for virtual competition to win a share of $180,000 in Prizes.” 

The deadline to register is June 15. Learn more and register here. 

Welcome to this week’s Pandora Report! This issue highlights Syria’s efforts to dismantle the Assad regime’s chemical weapons legacy, political violence and the targeting of healthcare systems in the Sahel, emerging research on new H5N1 transmission routes on California dairy farms, growing concerns about AI-enabled bioterrorism, and recent recognition of GMU biodefense faculty expertise in international security and counterterrorism.  

Thinking about Getting a Master’s in Biodefense? 

GMU’s Schar School of Policy and Government has an upcoming recruitment event:   

• Information Session on Biodefense Master’s Program on Tuesday, May 12 (12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT)   

George Mason Facilitates High-Level Interview on Syria’s Chemical Weapons Legacy  

In the aftermath of its devastating 2011-2024 civil war, Syria faces the immense task of rebuilding not only its economy and infrastructure but also repairing public trust and state institutions. Among its most urgent and controversial challenges is addressing the chemical weapons program developed under former President Bashar al-Assad, whose regime’s extensive use of chemical weapons is widely viewed as one of the most significant challenge to the global nonproliferation regime in the 21^st century. George Mason University’s (GMU) Biodefense Director, Dr. Gregory Koblentz helped facilitate a high-level interview with Syrian Ambassador to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Mohamad Katoub, published by Arms Control Today. The interview highlights Syria’s pledge to comply with international norms, dismantle remaining stockpiles, and ensure accountability for past wrongs. 

Targeting Healthcare: Political Violence and State Delegitimization in the Sahel 

By: Melissa Skoog, MPH from Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and GMU Biodefense Student.  

Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, three landlocked countries in the western interior of Africa bordering the Sahara, collectively form the Central Sahel, a region that now accounts for more than half of all terrorism-related fatalities recorded globally, according to the Global Terrorism Index. As health systems collapse and aid organizations withdraw, available evidence suggests the conditions that enable disease surveillance, outbreak response, and civilian protection are undermined with them. The violence driving this collapse extends beyond conventional terrorist attacks. A calculated strategy appears to be underway to dismantle the relationship between state and civilian, using healthcare systems and the workers and organizations that sustain them as deliberate targets. They are targeted precisely because of what they represent: one of the state’s most visible presences in civilian life. 

The Scale of the Problem 

In 2023, the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition documented at least 49 incidents of violence against or obstruction of healthcare in Burkina Faso, 41 in Mali, and 18 in Niger. These figures likely undercount actual incidents, as active suppression of reporting by junta governments has constrained data collection across all three countries. Nearly one in three health facilities in Burkina Faso has been impacted by violence, with hundreds closed or operating at reduced capacity. Médecins Sans Frontières withdrew from Djibo, Burkina Faso, in 2024 following sustained attacks on its health centers and offices and an operating environment that included kidnapping of aid workers, a significant development given the organization’s established practice of operating in high-risk conflict environments. 

Approximately 15 million people across the Central Sahel currently require humanitarian assistance. Healthcare system degradation has contributed to population displacement: Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso collectively counted over three million internally displaced persons, refugees, and asylum seekers as of late 2023. Armed conflict has since expanded southward into Benin, Togo, and Nigeria. 

The Strategic Logic 

The armed group documented as targeting healthcare workers and infrastructure in the Sahel is Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda affiliated coalition formed in 2017 through the merger of four Salafi-jihadist groups operating across Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. The group is designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States Department of State. Though designated as such, JNIM operates as a hybrid actor, using terrorist tactics while pursuing the territorial control and governance functions of an insurgency. Kidnapping of aid workers and Western nationals for ransom represents both a significant revenue stream and a direct mechanism for driving humanitarian organizations out of areas JNIM seeks to control. 

Research on insurgent behavior suggests that healthcare carries significance beyond its medical function. In communities with limited state presence, health posts often represent one of the most visible forms of government service delivery. Attacks on these facilities undermine the state and begin the process of transferring civilian dependence from the state to the insurgency. 

JNIM’s approach to healthcare workers and infrastructure has evolved over time. A 2025 study by researchers at FrancoPaix, the University of Sherbrooke’s conflict research center, analyzing JNIM activity across the three countries between 2022 and 2025 found a decline in direct attacks on healthcare workers alongside an increase in the group’s control over medical infrastructure through looting, abductions, and restriction of access. The researchers characterized this as a shift toward ‘co-governance’, using healthcare access as a tool of population control rather than simply denying it. 

This evolution from destruction to control is consistent with al-Qaeda’s documented strategic framework following the September 11 attacks. The 9/11 Commission and subsequent analysis documented how al-Qaeda’s transnational mass casualty strategy produced overwhelming military retaliation that dismantled its Afghan sanctuary and decimated its central leadership In response, al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri issued guidance to affiliates in 2013 emphasizing local embedding, civilian protection, and the pursuit of governance functions alongside military operations, a deliberate shift away from mass casualty attacks toward long-term insurgent governance. JNIM has been documented operating courts, collecting taxes, and providing dispute resolution services in areas under its influence, functions that carry particular weight in communities defined by complex ethnic and tribal dynamics where state arbitration has historically been absent or perceived as biased. 

JNIM is not the first al-Qaeda affiliate to weaponize healthcare access as a governance tool. Al-Shabaab in Somalia built parallel governance structures including healthcare provision while expelling state and Western aid organizations from areas under its control, sustaining an insurgency for nearly two decades that military pressure alone has failed to defeat. 

Critically, this targeting is not directed at any specific government or political configuration. JNIM has sustained this strategy across three changes of government in Mali since 2012, through military coups, and against both domestically administered services and internationally funded aid organizations. The target is state authority itself, including its local, national, and Western-backed expressions. 

The Junta Paradox 

What makes the Sahel crisis analytically distinctive is a second layer of healthcare restriction operating simultaneously of JNIM activity. The military governments that came to power in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger between 2020 and 2023 have taken measures that researchers and humanitarian organizations say have further constrained healthcare access. 

Aid worker arrests have increased across all three countries, with The New Humanitarian reporting in early 2026 that arrests specifically targeted workers engaged in negotiating humanitarian access or documenting security conditions. In Burkina Faso, 21 NGOs had their operating permits revoked within a single month in 2024. New legal frameworks introduced in 2025 have expanded government authority over humanitarian operations. Armed escorts imposed on aid organizations, justified by the juntas as security measures, have been described by humanitarian workers as functioning primarily as surveillance mechanisms. 

The result is a compound restriction on healthcare access driven by two distinct actors operating through different mechanisms. JNIM restricts access through violence, capture, and control of infrastructure. The juntas restrict access through legal and administrative means. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs recorded 3,737 security incidents resulting in 9,362 deaths across the three countries between January and December 2025. 

Conclusion 

Available evidence indicates that attacks on healthcare workers and infrastructure in the Central Sahel reflect a deliberate pattern rather than incidental conflict violence. JNIM’s documented shift from destroying health infrastructure to controlling it suggests a strategic orientation toward governance and population administration consistent with al-Qaeda’s broader doctrine of local embedding and insurgent governance. The simultaneous restriction of humanitarian access by junta governments through legal and administrative mechanisms has compounded the effect on civilian populations. 

Alternative Sources of H5N1 Transmission Identified on California Dairy Farms 

By Margeaux Malone, Pandora Report Associate Editor  

A study published this week in PLOS Biology has identified new information about potential routes of transmission of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in dairy cattle. HPAI was first detected in dairy cattle in the United States in March 2024 and has since spread to 16 states. California, the country’s largest dairy-producing state, detected the first positive case in August 2024. As of September 2025, 771 California dairy herds have tested positive for H5N1.  Following detection of high viral loads in the milk of H5N1-infected cows, the persistence of H5N1 on milking equipment, and reports of infection in dairy workers following eye splashes with milk, the consensus has been that direct contact with unpasteurized milk is likely the predominant method of H5N1 transmission in cows. However, transmission routes between dairy cows and from cows to humans have been difficult to evaluate fully due to limited sampling data from affected farms. Seeking to address that gap, researchers led by Emory University sampled air, wastewater, and milk on 14 H5N1-positive California dairy farms, identifying several transmission routes beyond contaminated milking equipment. 

The study found extensive environmental contamination of H5N1 on the affected farms including in milking parlor air samples and farm wastewater at multiple sites on multiple days. Both small aerosols and larger particles were found during milking, with viral RNA detected in 21 of 35 air samples, four of which contained infectious particles. Viral RNA was also detected in the exhaled breath of cows, pointing to possible animal-to-animal airborne spread. Wastewater sampling found H5N1 RNA at each point of the reclaimed water systems, including in manure lagoons that are widely used by migratory birds and in fields with grazing cows. Two of these samples contained infectious virus particles, raising concerns about broader environmental and wildlife exposure. 

H5N1 antibodies were also detected in the milk of cows that had never developed clinical signs, suggesting subclinical infections in cows may be more prevalent than previously thought. Additionally, milk sampling from individual mammary gland quarters revealed a heterogeneous infection pattern across individual cows that is inconsistent with milking equipment as the sole mode of viral transmission. 

Altogether, the findings highlight that multiple routes of transmission and sources of infection of H5N1 exist on dairy farms that pose risks to cows, dairy workers, and peri-domestic wildlife like migratory birds. Elucidating the routes of H5N1 transmission is critical to developing successful mitigation strategies. Based on their findings, the team of researchers urge respiratory PPE for farm workers, disinfection of milking equipment between cows, wastewater treatment, and rapid identification and isolation of infected animals. 

Further Reading:  

• “How an H5N1 Outbreak in Elephant Seals Can Inform Pandemic Readiness,” Stephanie DeMarco, PhD, The Scientist 
• “Surge in HPAI infections attributed to wild-bird spillover,” R. Scott Nolen, American Veterinary Medical Association 
• “Uptick in bird flu outbreaks expected in Wisconsin and nationwide,” Danielle Kaeding, Wisconsin Public Radio 
• “Humans may already have some immunity to H5N1 bird flu, study suggests,” Maeve Cullinan, The Telegraph 

GMU Biodefense Faculty Cited in The Economist on AI and Bioterrorism 

Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, Professor at GMU’s Schar School of Policy and Government, was cited in a recent The Economist article examining how advances in artificial intelligence (AI) could lower barriers to bioterrorism. The piece explores growing concerns that large language models (LLMs) trained on scientific and biological data may increasingly assist inexperienced actors in designing or troubleshooting experiments involving dangerous pathogens. Ouagrham-Gormley emphasized a central paradox in AI-enabled biological research: users who rely heavily on AI tools may lack the expertise needed to recognize when the systems are producing inaccurate or dangerously flawed guidance. The article highlights both the rapid advancement of AI biological capabilities and the ongoing debate over how to manage emerging biosecurity risks responsibly.  

GMU Adjunct Professor Featured in Mason Spirit for Counterterrorism Textbook 

Mahmut Cengiz, Associate Professor at GMU’s Schar School of Policy and Government, was recently featured in the Mason Spirit Magazine, highlighting his counterterrorism textbook, Typologies of Terrorist Organizations: Conceptual Lenses and Counterterrorism Measures,  developed in part for students of his course, BIOD 722: Examining Terrorist Groups, along with policymakers and practitioners alike. The article explores how Cengiz draws on decades of field research and global security expertise to help readers analyze the evolution, organization, and the tactics of terrorist groups in contemporary security environments.   

IN OTHER NEWS 

Pandemic Preparedness, Emerging Infectious Diseases, and Global Health Governance 

• “WHO delays pandemic treaty amid pathogen-sharing dispute,” Reuters 
• “World ‘unprepared’ for next pandemic as countries fail to agree on sharing information, tests and vaccines,” Kat Lay, The Guardian 
• “10 Charts to Explain Global Immunization Policy—Where the United States Stands,” Katherine E. Bliss and Priya Chainani, CSIS 
• “Hantavirus cluster linked to cruise ship travel, Multi-country,” WHO 
• “Second hantavirus case confirmed after deaths on cruise ship,” Ian Aikman, Toby Mann and Thomas Mackintosh, BBC 
• “U.S. Health Authorities Monitor Hantavirus Cruise Passengers in Georgia, California and Arizona,” Rylee Kirk and Nina Agrawal, NY Times 
• “What doctors know about how the Andes hantavirus spreads,” Brenda Goodman, CNN 
• “The Morbid Reason Hantavirus Is Unlikely to Be Next Pandemic,” Jesus Mesa, Newsweek 

Biosecurity, Biorisk and Bioterrorism 

• “Trump signs new counter terrorism strategy that focuses on hemispheric threats,” Steve Holland, Reuters 
• “United States Counterterrorism Strategy 2026,” White House  
• “Implementation guidance for biorisk management for laboratories and other related organizations,” ABSA International  
• “Man found guilty on 12 counts for running illegal biolab in Reedley,” Christina Lopez, ABC 30 
• “Guilty Verdict for California Biolab Operator,” United States Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of California       
• “50 Years of the Biological Weapons Convention: Past, Present and Future,” Barry de Vries, Kristoffer Burck, and Sannimari Veini, Springer Nature 

Science Governance, Public Trust and Politicization of Health Institutions 

• “Former Senior NIAID Official Indicted for Concealing Federal Records During COVID-19 Pandemic,” Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of Justice 
• “Guns and bulletproof vests: How federal agents arrested Fauci aide,” Jon Cohen, Science 
• “F.D.A. Blocked Publication of Research Finding Covid and Shingles Vaccines Were Safe,” Christina Jewett, NY Times 
• “Words matter: CDC’s anti-science messaging can undermine public trust in vaccines, survey finds,” Sarah Boden, CIDRAP 
• “Exclusive: Deleted tweets reveal new surgeon general pick criticized Trump and RFK Jr. health policies,” Andrew Kaczynski and Meg Tirrell, CNN 
• “CDC leader calls for new journal to ‘elevate scientific rigor’,” Jon Cohen, Science

NEW: Responding to Today’s Gaps for Tomorrow’s Health Emergencies: 2026 Ready or Not Report 

From Trust for America’s Health (TFAH): “Join us for a Congressional Briefing and National Webinar on the latest information on public health emergency readiness and findings from TFAH’s recent report, Ready or Not 2026: Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism. 

The past year alone saw the U.S. facing the most severe flu season in nearly a decade, the highest annual measles case count since 1991, and devastating weather-related emergencies. In addition, these challenges occurred alongside deep federal staffing cuts and destabilized funding to the public health system. As TFAH marks its 25th anniversary, the webinar will review the highlights from this year’s report, which measures the nation’s readiness for public health emergencies through 10 indicators of state preparedness to respond to a wide spectrum of health emergencies and to provide ongoing public health services.” 

This webinar will be held on May 19 at 2:00 PM ET. Learn more and register here. 

NEW: Public Health Agency of Canada Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Biology and Bioart Summit 2026 

From PHAC: “The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) DIY Biology and Bioart Summit 2026 is the first gathering of Canadian DIY biologists and bioartists organized by PHAC since 2020. This summit will bring together these Canadian bio-innovators with PHAC biosafety and biosecurity experts to provide an opportunity to engage and discuss biosafety and biosecurity challenges and opportunities. The summit will also include a keynote presentation by an international DIY biology expert.” 

This virtual event will be held from June 10 from 10:00 AM – 2:35 PM ET. Learn more and register here. 

Medical Leadership in Disaster Preparedness and Response: Virtual Conference 

From ASPR: “Are you currently responsible for the medical direction of a health care entity in the event of a disaster? The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) Technical Resources, Assistance Center, and Information Exchange (TRACIE) and the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) are pleased to cohost the second Medical Leadership in Disaster Preparedness and Response Virtual Conference.  

This half day virtual conference will bring together individuals who have a medical direction role during disasters to discuss the spectrum of medical leadership responsibilities and some of the specific challenges of the role. Topics will include: developing and implementing best practices during a disaster, navigating downtown, using data for action, new disaster medicine, and discovering health care surge tools.”  

This virtual conference will take place on May 11 from 12:00 – 4:30 PM ET. Learn more and register here.  

Biosafety Level 4 Zoonotic Laboratory Network: International Virtual Conference 

From the BSL4ZNet: “The BSL4ZNet bi‑annual international conference is a cornerstone event for the BSL4ZNet community. It provides a global forum for scientists, program leaders, and high‑containment specialists to exchange new research, innovations, and lessons learned related to high‑containment laboratories and high‑consequence pathogens. The 2026 meeting will mark our fifth international conference.” 

This conference will be held virtually from May 13 at 9:00 AM through June 10 at 9:30 AM ET. Learn more and register here. 

International Conference CBRNe Research & Innovation  

From CBRNE: “The last 40 years have demonstrated that both military and civilian populations could be exposed to highly hazardous CBRNE agents following conflicts, natural outbreaks and disasters, industrial incidents or terrorist attacks. Worldwide, researchers, responders and industrial capacities have been commited to provide adapted response to these challenges. The CBRNE Research & Innovation Conference includes workshops and demonstrations of innovative materials, technologies and procedures, according to the following themes: Detection (identification), Protection (decontamination, medical countermeasures), and risk & crisis management.  

This event will take place in Arcachon, France, from May 19 – 21, 2026. Learn more and RSVP here. 

Biotechnology and Resilient Human Systems Workshop 2026 

From the MIT Lincoln Laboratory: “The focus of the 2026 Biotechnology and Resilient Human Systems Workshop will be Preparing for Future Biological Effects. This two-day, in-person event will feature sessions highlighting the dual-use nature of biotechnology, building a resilient biosurveillance system, and developing broad medical countermeasures. The workshop will feature keynote presentations from leaders across the U.S. government highlighting critical national security challenges and opportunities created from advanced biotechnology and will also exhibit state-of-the-art research and innovations from the rapidly expanding biotechnology ecosystem. 

Government and industry leaders, national security experts, UARCs, FFRDCS, national labs, entrepreneurs, and academic innovators will jointly discuss and showcase how to rapidly transition biotechnology-enabled technologies into operational capabilities that effectively address critical national security challenges.” 

This in-person event will take place on June 2-3 in Lexington, MA. Learn more and register here. 

From the Ground Up: Federated Biodefense  

From the Atlantic Council: “The Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense at the Atlantic Council will host its latest meeting, surveying federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial government roles, responsibilities and resources. 

Non-federal governments serve on the frontlines of biodefense. As the biological threat continues to grow, those officials who tackle this topic on a daily basis require reinforcement. This meeting of the Commission will discuss the impacts of changes in federal support for state, local, tribal, and territorial biodefense activities, as well as the biodefense roles, responsibilities and investments of non-federal governments. The discussions will also touch upon the personnel, policies and programs needed to bolster preparedness for future biological threats.” 

This event will take place on Thursday, June 4 from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM ET. Further information and registration details to follow.

GHS 2026

From GHS: “We’re excited to officially announce that the 4th Global Health Security Conference (GHS2026) will be held in Kuala Lumpur on the 9 – 12 June, 2026!”

“Building on the incredible momentum of GHS2024 in Sydney, we look forward to bringing together the global health security community once again – this time in one of Southeast Asia’s most vibrant and dynamic cities.”

“Registration and Call for Abstracts are now live!”

Learn more, submit abstracts, and register here.

Biosecurity Simulation Exercise (BSX 2026): Laboratory Incidents & Deliberate Biothreats 

From the Asia Centre for Health Security: “This table-top simulation exercise aims to enhance inter-sectoral and inter-disciplinary preparedness for laboratory biosafety and biosecurity (LBB) and deliberate biothreat events (DBE). Through lectures, discussions, and structured, scenario-driven exercises, participants will explore decision-making to detect, risk-assess, and manage high-consequence biological incidents under conditions of incomplete information and unfolding events. Participants will collaborate in teams, building on expert perspectives to address issues in surveillance, diagnostics, public health response, security assessment, and risk communication.” 

This in-person event will be held from August 27-28. Learn more and register here. 

The Global Congress on Chemical Security and Emerging Threats – Call for Abstracts 

From INTERPOL: “The 6th Plenary Meeting of the Global Congress on Chemical Security & Emerging Threats will be in Panama City from 21-24 Sept 2026. The event brings together governments, industry, academia, & international orgs to strengthen chem security through collaboration & action. By providing a platform for multi-sector global cooperation and partnership, the Global Congress enables members to build relationships, exchange expertise, share important information on emerging threats and innovative best practices, and enhance capabilities.” 

The call for abstracts is now open, and the applications are due by May 15. Learn more about the conference here and apply here. 

INTERPOL Global Biosecurity Conference 2026 – Call for Abstracts  

From INTERPOL: “The 2^nd INTERPOL Global Biosecurity Conference brings together law enforcement and partner agencies, biosecurity experts, and academia from different regions and backgrounds to discuss the latest developments in global biosecurity. We invite biosecurity experts, researchers and scholars to submit an abstract, subject to a selection process, to present your work during the conference. The abstract should cover one of the following topics: global biological threat landscape, indicators and early-warning for biological threats, health and law enforcement coordination, forensics, biosecurity at borders, science and technology innovation, and legal, policy and information-sharing.”  

The call for abstracts is now open, and the applications are due by May 22. Learn more and apply here.  

Bio-attribution Challenge 

From DARPA: “Translate your bio-attribution research into national security impact. In an era of unprecedented biological data generation, the ability to rapidly determine the origin of a biological event — whether natural, accidental, or intentional — is a critical component of national security and public health. To meet the challenge of finding the “needle in a haystack” within this data deluge, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has launched the Bio-Attribution Challenge. 

This virtual competition calls on innovators to develop a new generation of tools capable of analyzing petabyte-scale datasets in near real-time, far exceeding the capacity of current systems. The goal is to revolutionize how we identify and trace the source of biological sequences, ensuring a faster, more effective response to potential threats. Register for virtual competition to win a share of $180,000 in Prizes.” 

The deadline to register is June 15. Learn more and register here. 

Welcome to this week’s Pandora Report! This issue highlights evolving global counterterrorism threats, emerging zoonotic disease risks, and the growing intersection of AI, biosecurity, and public health preparedness.   

Thinking about Getting a Master’s in Biodefense? 

GMU’s Schar School of Policy and Government has an upcoming recruitment event:   

• Information Session on Biodefense Master’s Program on Tuesday, May 12 (12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT)   

GMU Faculty and Students Highlight Counterterrorism 2026 Summit on Evolving Threats 

In this week’s Frontline Watch report by Homeland Security Today, led by Counterterrorism Managing Editor Dr. Mahmut Cengiz of the Schar School of Policy and Government, students and researchers at George Mason University and Coastal Carolina University summarize key insights from the Counterterrorism 2026 Summit held on April 20-21. The report highlights the resilience of Iran’s proxy networks in projecting power while avoiding direct conflict, the expansion of Salafi-jihadist groups particularly in Africa’s Sahal and into coastal West Africa, and the growing sophistication of terrorist financing through cryptocurrencies and digital tools. At the same time, transnational criminal organizations, including Mexican cartels, continue to evolve to enforcement pressures, reinforcing their role as hybrid security threats. 

The report also underscores the rising influence of technology in shaping modern terrorism. Digital platforms and AI are accelerating the rise of youth involvement in extremist movements and facilitating their recruitment. To this end, the U.S. domestic threat landscape is becoming more decentralized with lone actors and small-cell attacks replacing traditional hierarchical terrorist organizations. Additionally, critical infrastructure faces heightened risk from interconnected cyber and physical threats, while AI and cyber tools are lowering the barrier to entry for terrorist activity. Overall, the findings emphasize the need for integrated, adaptive, and cross-domain counterterrorism strategies that prioritize intelligence-sharing, coordination, and non-kinetic approaches to address increasingly complex threats.  

Bird Flu Isn’t Flying Solo: WHO Reports Zoonotic Influenza Cases in 2026 

By Margeaux Malone, Pandora Report Associate Editor  

In the first quarter of 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed 13 zoonotic influenza cases in humans across multiple strains. Among them, four were H5N1, the strain at the center of the ongoing bird flu outbreak, with one previously undisclosed fatality in Bangladesh in January 2026. The fatal case was a child with no underlying health conditions, who had contact with household poultry (two ducks and a chicken) that died shortly before the child fell ill. Genetic analysis showed the virus matched clade 2.3.2.1a, which has been circulating in local poultry since around 2011. It is Bangladesh’s first H5N1 case of 2026, following four cases last year. The other three H5N1 cases were in Cambodia (clade 2.3.2.1e).  

Unfortunately, bird flu is not the only zoonotic influenza flocking to the headlines. The remaining zoonotic flu cases reported by the WHO in their report, Influenza at the Human-Animal Interface, were swine-origin variant viruses: H1N1v and H1N2v in China and an H3N2v case in Brazil that dates to September 2025 but was only recently reported. All three swine variant cases involved children. The two cases in China had reported exposure to domestic pigs prior to illness onset. The child in Brazil did not have known direct contact with pigs but did attend an agricultural school where pigs are raised. The overall risk assessment for the general public remains low; however, Spain alerted the WHO to a suspected case of human-to-human transmission of an H1N1v swine flu variant in Catalonia in February, notable because the infected individual had no known contact with pigs. The patient has since recovered and no retransmission was detected among close contacts, but the case highlights ongoing concern about the pandemic potential of swine-origin variants should they recombine with circulating human flu strains. 

Further Reading:  

• “More California marine mammals confirmed to have H5N1 avian flu, as USDA tracks poultry outbreaks in Midwest,”  Stephanie Soucheray, CIDRAP 
• “Researchers develop promising new vaccine against bird flu,” Deann Gayman, University of Nebraska-Lincoln 
• “Bird flu housing order to be lifted across island of Ireland,” Barry O’Connor, BBC 
• “Fast-food chain Chick-fil-A retreats from decade-old egg pledge as bird flu hits supply,” Deirdre Bardolf, Fox News 

IN OTHER NEWS 

AI, Synthetic Biology, and Biosecurity Risk 

• “No one’s sure if synthetic mirror life will kill us all,” MIT Technology Review 
• “Tacit Knowledge: The Missing Factor in AI Bio Risk Assessments,” Abi Olvera, Second Thoughts 
• “New security unit to tackle ‘catastrophic’ AI-enabled bioweapons,” Nicola Smith, Financial Review 
• “A.I. Bots Told Scientists How to Make Biological Weapons,” Gabriel J.X. Dance, NY Times 
• “BioTIER: Biological Targeted Information for Exclusion and Refusal,” Eleanor Marshall, Jasper Götting, Nelly Mak, Peter Peneder, Pedro Medeiros, Seth Donoughe, SecureBio 
• “Agricultural Security Considerations for the U.S. Corn Belt,” Tyler Hoard, Adeline E. Williams, David Luckey, RAND 

Chemical and Biological Weapons  

• “Study: Trauma lingers for 26% of Tokyo sarin attack survivors,” Yusuke Morishita, The Asahi Shimbun 
• “Short and long-term health consequences of the 2013 Sarin attack in Ghouta, Syria: a retrospective descriptive study of civilian survivors,” MHD Bahaa Aldin Alhaffar, Luluwa Zarzar, Anneli Eriksson, and Salim Namour, Scientific Reports 
• “The Fall of the Syrian Regime: The End of Chemical Warfare in Syria,” Damian Alexander Honeyman, David James Heslop, C Raina Macintyre, Global Biosecurity          
• “The Soviets Abandoned a Top-Secret Bioweapons Testing Ground. 34 Years Later, ‘Anthrax Island’ Is Waking Up.” Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics 
• “Demand Increases for Consults on Chemical Warfare Defense,” DVIDS Hub 
• “15 chemical spraying drones stolen in NJ as FBI investigates possible ‘nightmare scenario’: report,” Shane Galvin, New York Post 
• “Woman Gets Jail After Unleashing Swarm of Bees During an Eviction,” Adeel Hassan, NY Times 

Vaccines, Policy, and Public Health Systems  

• “Can the U.S. handle another pandemic?” PBS 
• “Practicing today for tomorrow’s emergencies – WHO convenes countries and partners to simulate response to major disease outbreak,” WHO 
• “Exclusive: Here’s the Covid-19 vaccine paper the CDC censored.” Jeremy Faust, Inside Medicine 
• “Ghana rejects proposed US health aid deal, citing data concerns, source says,” The Straits Times 
• “RFK Jr. is holding up $600M in vaccines for poor countries,” Carmen Paun, Politico 
• “Trump ousts National Science Board members,” Carolyn Y. Johnson, The Washington Post 
• “Genome pioneer Craig Venter dies: here’s how he transformed science,” Ewen Callaway, Nature 
• “Board Ouster Raises Further Concerns About NSF’s Future,” Ryan Quinn, Inside Higher Ed 

Prohibited Chemical and Biological Weapons and the Law: Legal Responses to Lethal Innovation 

Edited by Stacey Henderson, this book explores the current challenges, risks, and opportunities posed by new discoveries in the biological and chemical sciences. With a focus on non-human consequences of the use of these types of weapons, issues discussed include their environmental impact; use of herbicides in armed conflicts; the dangers posed by agent transport; the impact of technology on the development and manufacturing of chemical and biological agents; and the implementation effects at national levels across different countries and regions. This book explores whether the prohibitions on the use of chemical and biological weapons are being weakened, or whether international responses to their alleged use in recent conflicts are reinforcing prohibitions. This work will be most relevant to academics, researchers, and policymakers working in the fields of international humanitarian law, security studies and law, disarmament, nonproliferation and arms control, and international relations. 

Medical Leadership in Disaster Preparedness and Response: Virtual Conference 

From ASPR: “Are you currently responsible for the medical direction of a health care entity in the event of a disaster? The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) Technical Resources, Assistance Center, and Information Exchange (TRACIE) and the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) are pleased to cohost the second Medical Leadership in Disaster Preparedness and Response Virtual Conference.  

This half day virtual conference will bring together individuals who have a medical direction role during disasters to discuss the spectrum of medical leadership responsibilities and some of the specific challenges of the role. Topics will include: developing and implementing best practices during a disaster, navigating downtown, using data for action, new disaster medicine, and discovering health care surge tools.”  

This virtual conference will take place on May 11 from 12:00 – 4:30 PM ET. Learn more and register here.  

Biosafety Level 4 Zoonotic Laboratory Network: International Virtual Conference 

From the BSL4ZNet: “The BSL4ZNet bi‑annual international conference is a cornerstone event for the BSL4ZNet community. It provides a global forum for scientists, program leaders, and high‑containment specialists to exchange new research, innovations, and lessons learned related to high‑containment laboratories and high‑consequence pathogens. The 2026 meeting will mark our fifth international conference.” 

This conference will be held virtually from May 13 at 9:00 AM through June 10 at 9:30 AM ET. Learn more and register here. 

International Conference CBRNe Research & Innovation  

From CBRNE: “The last 40 years have demonstrated that both military and civilian populations could be exposed to highly hazardous CBRNE agents following conflicts, natural outbreaks and disasters, industrial incidents or terrorist attacks. Worldwide, researchers, responders and industrial capacities have been commited to provide adapted response to these challenges. The CBRNE Research & Innovation Conference includes workshops and demonstrations of innovative materials, technologies and procedures, according to the following themes: Detection (identification), Protection (decontamination, medical countermeasures), and risk & crisis management.  

This event will take place in Arcachon, France, from May 19 – 21, 2026. Learn more and RSVP here. 

Biotechnology and Resilient Human Systems Workshop 2026 

From the MIT Lincoln Laboratory: “The focus of the 2026 Biotechnology and Resilient Human Systems Workshop will be Preparing for Future Biological Effects. This two-day, in-person event will feature sessions highlighting the dual-use nature of biotechnology, building a resilient biosurveillance system, and developing broad medical countermeasures. The workshop will feature keynote presentations from leaders across the U.S. government highlighting critical national security challenges and opportunities created from advanced biotechnology and will also exhibit state-of-the-art research and innovations from the rapidly expanding biotechnology ecosystem. 

Government and industry leaders, national security experts, UARCs, FFRDCS, national labs, entrepreneurs, and academic innovators will jointly discuss and showcase how to rapidly transition biotechnology-enabled technologies into operational capabilities that effectively address critical national security challenges.” 

This in-person event will take place on June 2-3 in Lexington, MA. Learn more and register here. 

From the Ground Up: Federated Biodefense  

From the Atlantic Council: “The Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense at the Atlantic Council will host its latest meeting, surveying federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial government roles, responsibilities and resources. 

Non-federal governments serve on the frontlines of biodefense. As the biological threat continues to grow, those officials who tackle this topic on a daily basis require reinforcement. This meeting of the Commission will discuss the impacts of changes in federal support for state, local, tribal, and territorial biodefense activities, as well as the biodefense roles, responsibilities and investments of non-federal governments. The discussions will also touch upon the personnel, policies and programs needed to bolster preparedness for future biological threats.” 

This event will take place on Thursday, June 4 from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM ET. Further information and registration details to follow.

GHS 2026

From GHS: “We’re excited to officially announce that the 4th Global Health Security Conference (GHS2026) will be held in Kuala Lumpur on the 9 – 12 June, 2026!”

“Building on the incredible momentum of GHS2024 in Sydney, we look forward to bringing together the global health security community once again – this time in one of Southeast Asia’s most vibrant and dynamic cities.”

“Registration and Call for Abstracts are now live!”

Learn more, submit abstracts, and register here.

Biosecurity Simulation Exercise (BSX 2026): Laboratory Incidents & Deliberate Biothreats 

From the Asia Centre for Health Security: “This table-top simulation exercise aims to enhance inter-sectoral and inter-disciplinary preparedness for laboratory biosafety and biosecurity (LBB) and deliberate biothreat events (DBE). Through lectures, discussions, and structured, scenario-driven exercises, participants will explore decision-making to detect, risk-assess, and manage high-consequence biological incidents under conditions of incomplete information and unfolding events. Participants will collaborate in teams, building on expert perspectives to address issues in surveillance, diagnostics, public health response, security assessment, and risk communication.” 

This in-person event will be held from August 27-28. Learn more and register here. 

Strengthening Biosecurity & Pandemic Preparedness Through Intergenerational Dialogue – Applications Open  

From the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI): “As breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI) and biotechnology outpace global governance, the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and The Elders are launching a new intergenerational initiative to generate the ideas and leadership needed for a safer future against biological threats. 

NTI and The Elders are pleased to invite applications for a high-level Intergenerational Dialogue that will focus on emerging technologies, pandemic preparedness, prevention, and response (PPR), and global biosecurity governance. This dialogue will bring together early career professionals with senior global leaders to explore how technological innovation can strengthen health security while reducing catastrophic biological risks. 

Building on NTI’s Next Generation for Biosecurity project and The Elders’ leadership on pandemic prevention and global cooperation, this initiative will foster candid exchange across generations, elevate diverse perspectives, and generate forward-looking ideas to inform global advocacy and policy priorities.” 

The application deadline is Sunday, May 3 at 11:59 PM ET. Learn more and apply here.

Developing a Maximum Containment Laboratory: BSL-4 Biosafety and Biosecurity Considerations – A Webinar 

From the Asia Centre for Health Security: “Maximum containment laboratories, or BSL-4 labs, provide unique capacity for work on high consequence infectious disease (HCID) pathogens. To enhance national outbreak readiness, Singapore has been strengthening laboratory capability to include a maximum containment laboratory. During this webinar, Adj A/Prof Gladys Tan will share insights from the journey to develop such a lab and discuss biosafety and biosecurity risks that need to be recognized and mitigated.” 

This virtual event will be held on May 7 from 5:30-6:30 PM Singapore Time (GMT +08:00). Learn more and register here.  

Private Sector – EU CBRN Risk Mitigation Centres of Excellence Initiative – Call for Expression of Interest  

From the UNICRI: “UNICRI, within the framework of the European Union Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Risk Mitigation Centres of Excellence (EU CBRN CoE) Initiative invites private sector organizations to express their interest in engaging with the Initiative and its partner countries to strengthen global capacities for the prevention, detection and response to CBRN risks. 

The EU CBRN CoE Initiative, funded by the European Union, supports more than 60 partner countries across multiple regions through capacity-building, training, policy development and technical cooperation. The Initiative seeks to enhance dialogue and collaboration with relevant private sector stakeholders. This call aims to identify and engage companies and organizations interested in contributing their expertise through technical exchanges, consultations, awareness-raising activities and potential cooperation initiatives with the EU CBRN CoE Initiative and its partner countries.”  

The deadline for submissions is May 8. Learn more and register here. 

The Global Congress on Chemical Security and Emerging Threats – Call for Abstracts 

From INTERPOL: “The 6th Plenary Meeting of the Global Congress on Chemical Security & Emerging Threats will be in Panama City from 21-24 Sept 2026. The event brings together governments, industry, academia, & international orgs to strengthen chem security through collaboration & action. By providing a platform for multi-sector global cooperation and partnership, the Global Congress enables members to build relationships, exchange expertise, share important information on emerging threats and innovative best practices, and enhance capabilities.” 

The call for abstracts is now open, and the applications are due by May 15. Learn more about the conference here and apply here. 

INTERPOL Global Biosecurity Conference 2026 – Call for Abstracts  

From INTERPOL: “The 2^nd INTERPOL Global Biosecurity Conference brings together law enforcement and partner agencies, biosecurity experts, and academia from different regions and backgrounds to discuss the latest developments in global biosecurity. We invite biosecurity experts, researchers and scholars to submit an abstract, subject to a selection process, to present your work during the conference. The abstract should cover one of the following topics: global biological threat landscape, indicators and early-warning for biological threats, health and law enforcement coordination, forensics, biosecurity at borders, science and technology innovation, and legal, policy and information-sharing.”  

The call for abstracts is now open, and the applications are due by May 22. Learn more and apply here.  

Bio-attribution Challenge 

From DARPA: “Translate your bio-attribution research into national security impact. In an era of unprecedented biological data generation, the ability to rapidly determine the origin of a biological event — whether natural, accidental, or intentional — is a critical component of national security and public health. To meet the challenge of finding the “needle in a haystack” within this data deluge, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has launched the Bio-Attribution Challenge. 

This virtual competition calls on innovators to develop a new generation of tools capable of analyzing petabyte-scale datasets in near real-time, far exceeding the capacity of current systems. The goal is to revolutionize how we identify and trace the source of biological sequences, ensuring a faster, more effective response to potential threats. Register for virtual competition to win a share of $180,000 in Prizes.” 

The deadline to register is June 15. Learn more and register here. 

Welcome to this week’s Pandora Report! This issue highlights emerging technologies shaping biosecurity, advances in pandemic preparedness, and evolving policy challenges across science, health, and national security. 

Considering Graduate School in Policy, Government, or International Affairs? 

The George Mason University will host a virtual open house to learn more about the Schar School of Policy and Government and their academic programs: 

• Monday, April 27 (7:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT) 

Thinking about Getting a Master’s in Biodefense? 

GMU’s Schar School of Policy and Government has an upcoming recruitment event:   

• Information Session on Biodefense Master’s Program on Tuesday, May 12 (12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT)   

GMU Alumni Featured in SIPRI’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme  

In a new video, George Mason University Biodefense alumni, Dr. Miranda Smith, has been featured in SIPRI’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme on preventing biological weapons proliferation. In the video, Dr. Smith discusses how advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and distributed ledger technology are reshaping how biological research, data and materials are managed and how these technologies could be used to strengthen oversight by helping to preventing the development and proliferation of biological weapons. Dr. Smith highlights the administrative burdens and workforce capacity issues faced by states in implementing compliance with the biological weapons prohibition regime. Her insights are based on key findings from a recent SIPRI publication, ‘Preventing Biological Weapons Proliferation: operational Applications of Emerging Technologies’.  

Further Reading: 

• “New SIPRI Conversations video: Preventing biological weapons proliferation,” SIPRI.  
• “AI Implications for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense Policy and Programs: A Strategic Analytic Research Agenda,” Rebecca K.C. Hersman, Lauren Blackwelder, John V. Parachini, RAND  
• “Marking 50 Years of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC): Perspectives from Asia and the Pacific,” Office for Disarmament Affairs  
• “Kaine & Budd Introduce Bill to Boost Safety and Security Against Biological Threats,” Tim Kaine, U.S. Senator from Virginia 

Moderna Launches Phase 3 mRNA Bird Flu Vaccine Trial 

By Margeaux Malone, Pandora Report Associate Editor  

Moderna announced this week that the first participants have received doses of their investigational mRNA-based H5 bird flu vaccine candidate, mRNA-1018, as part of a Phase 3 clinical trial. The trial is funded with support from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), which invested $53.4 million to help advance the vaccine to licensure after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services pulled millions of dollars in funding to support vaccine development last May.  

The trial aims to enroll approximately 4,000 adults across the United States and United Kingdom, with a particular focus on adults over 65 and poultry workers. In a company press release, Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said, “H5 influenza, or bird flu, remains a pandemic threat. The start of our Phase 3 trial for an H5 influenza vaccine marks a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to strengthen global pandemic preparedness.” As part of the agreement with CEPI, Moderna has pledged to allocate 20% of their H5 pandemic vaccine manufacturing capacity to provide timely supply of vaccines to low- and middle-income countries at affordable prices in the event of an influenza pandemic. 

H5N1 Resurfaces in Cattle as Researchers Study Semen Spread 

H5N1 avian flu resurfaced last week in five Idaho dairy herds, according to USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. This marks the first detections in cattle since December 2025 when a single herd was affected in Wisconsin and comes almost exactly two years since US officials first recorded the virus in dairy cattle. In related news, Emerging Infectious Diseases published an early release article examining whether viral shedding in bovine semen could result in silent spread within herds and across geographic regions through artificial insemination. The study, based on observations of natural breeding bulls on an affected California dairy farm, found H5N1 RNA in the semen of an asymptomatic bull. However, researchers did not detect live virus and there was only limited evidence of seroconversion. Although the findings were ultimately inconclusive, the authors called for further research to further assess semen-associated transmission risks that may pose to herd health and breeding programs. 

Further Reading:  

• “H9N2 Bird Flu Hits Europe as First Human Case Confirmed in Italy,” Ed Hutchinson, Science Alert 
• “3 more H9N2 avian flu cases confirmed in China,” Stephanie Soucheray, CIDRAP 
• “Cambodia reports 3rd H5N1 avian influenza case of the year,” Robert Herriman, Outbreak News Today 
• “Rapid expansion of genotype D1.1 A(H5N1) influenza viruses in wild birds across North America during the 2024 migratory season,” Harrington, W.N., Signore, A., Kercher, L. et al., Nature 
• “The Americas strengthen surveillance against avian influenza: 15 countries participate in the regional ProgRESSVet workshop in Panama,” Pan American Health Organization 
• “New mutations help the H5N1 bird flu virus infect cows but not people,” Kinga Krzeminska, Science News 

IN OTHER NEWS 

Chemical and Biological Weapons, Nonproliferation and Disarmament  

• “A mythical history of biological warfare: Greek Fire, Poison Arrows, and Scorpion Bombs: Unconventional Warfare in the Ancient World,” W. Seth Carus, The Nonproliferation Review 
• “Circle of life?” Gwyn Winfield, CBRNe World 
• “Syria Pursues Plan to Complete CW Elimination,” Daryl G. Kimball, Arms Control Association 
• “Chemical Forensics: Report of the Scientific Advisory Board’s Temporary Working Group,” OPCW  
• “Barbara Hatch Rosenberg, Who Joined Hunt for Anthrax Culprit, Dies at 97,” Adam Nossiter, NY Times 
• “From a South American frog to a Russian penal colony: How the poison epibatidine killed Navalny,” Rémi Ducasse, Audrey Lagadec and Eric Dedier, LeMonde  
• “Scientist Irritated by Lab Colleague Accused in Poisoning Attempt,” Julie Bosman, NY Times 

Public Health, Vaccines and Pandemic Preparedness  

• “CDC won’t publish report showing covid shots cut likelihood of hospital visits,” Lena H. Sun, WP 
• “Britain launches new mRNA vaccine trial to prepare for bird flu pandemic,” Maeve Cullinan, The Telegraph 
• “Dropping the flu vaccine requirement puts U.S. military readiness at risk,” Paul Friedrichs, StatNews  
• “Annual flu vaccine no longer required for U.S. military, Hegseth says,” Amy B. Wang and Dan Diamond, WP  
• “Health Experts Weigh In on Effects of DOD’s Optional Flu Vaccine Policy,” Nick Mordowanec, Military.com 

Science Policy, Funding and Politics 

• “Where U.S. science has been hit hardest after Trump’s first year,” Carolyn Y. Johnson, Lydia Sidhom, and Susan Svrluga, WP 
•  “FBI’s No. 2 calls on hospitals to share cyberthreat info,” Tina Reed, Axios 
• “Pete Hegseth Is America’s New Secretary of Pestilence,” James Palmer, Foreign Policy  
• “Pace of N.I.H. Funding Slows Further in Trump’s Second Year,” Benjamin Mueller and Irena Hwang, NY Times 

Podcasts 

• “The Science and Human Impact of Chemical Threats,” U.S. Department of Homeland Security    
• “Public Health on Call,” Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health 

NEW: Medical Leadership in Disaster Preparedness and Response: Virtual Conference 

From ASPR: “Are you currently responsible for the medical direction of a health care entity in the event of a disaster? The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) Technical Resources, Assistance Center, and Information Exchange (TRACIE) and the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) are pleased to cohost the second Medical Leadership in Disaster Preparedness and Response Virtual Conference.  

This half day virtual conference will bring together individuals who have a medical direction role during disasters to discuss the spectrum of medical leadership responsibilities and some of the specific challenges of the role. Topics will include: developing and implementing best practices during a disaster, navigating downtown, using data for action, new disaster medicine, and discovering health care surge tools.”  

This virtual conference will take place on May 11 from 12:00 – 4:30 PM ET. Learn more and register here.  

NEW: Biosafety Level 4 Zoonotic Laboratory Network: International Virtual Conference 

From the BSL4ZNet: “The BSL4ZNet bi‑annual international conference is a cornerstone event for the BSL4ZNet community. It provides a global forum for scientists, program leaders, and high‑containment specialists to exchange new research, innovations, and lessons learned related to high‑containment laboratories and high‑consequence pathogens. The 2026 meeting will mark our fifth international conference.” 

This conference will be held virtually from May 13 at 9:00 AM through June 10 at 9:30 AM ET. Learn more and register here. 

NEW: From the Ground Up: Federated Biodefense  

From the Atlantic Council: “The Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense at the Atlantic Council will host its latest meeting, surveying federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial government roles, responsibilities and resources. 

Non-federal governments serve on the frontlines of biodefense. As the biological threat continues to grow, those officials who tackle this topic on a daily basis require reinforcement. This meeting of the Commission will discuss the impacts of changes in federal support for state, local, tribal, and territorial biodefense activities, as well as the biodefense roles, responsibilities and investments of non-federal governments. The discussions will also touch upon the personnel, policies and programs needed to bolster preparedness for future biological threats.” 

This event will take place on Thursday, June 4 from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM ET. Further information and registration details to follow.

External Review of Environmental, Biosafety, and Biosecurity Considerations for Synthetic Cell Research and Development: Report Release Webinar 

From the National Academies: “Engineering biology holds great potential to transform biotechnology research to provide innovative solutions to critical challenges in health, agriculture, industry, and beyond. Scientists actively have worked to improve the design and creation of synthetic cells. Recent calls for increased predictability of designing cells that have desired functions upon their development highlight the pressing need to develop an actionable and contemplative approach to addressing environmental, safety, and security risks while maintaining research advancement and productivity. This study will analyze existing and needed approaches for assessing and reducing risks and maintaining benefits of synthetic cells to inform policy and protect public safety.” 

This webinar will be held on April 29, from 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EDT. Learn more and register here. 

International Conference CBRNe Research & Innovation  

From CBRNE: “The last 40 years have demonstrated that both military and civilian populations could be exposed to highly hazardous CBRNE agents following conflicts, natural outbreaks and disasters, industrial incidents or terrorist attacks. Worldwide, researchers, responders and industrial capacities have been commited to provide adapted response to these challenges. The CBRNE Research & Innovation Conference includes workshops and demonstrations of innovative materials, technologies and procedures, according to the following themes: Detection (identification), Protection (decontamination, medical countermeasures), and risk & crisis management.  

This event will take place in Arcachon, France, from May 19 – 21, 2026. Learn more and RSVP here. 

Biotechnology and Resilient Human Systems Workshop 2026 

From the MIT Lincoln Laboratory: “The focus of the 2026 Biotechnology and Resilient Human Systems Workshop will be Preparing for Future Biological Effects. This two-day, in-person event will feature sessions highlighting the dual-use nature of biotechnology, building a resilient biosurveillance system, and developing broad medical countermeasures. The workshop will feature keynote presentations from leaders across the U.S. government highlighting critical national security challenges and opportunities created from advanced biotechnology and will also exhibit state-of-the-art research and innovations from the rapidly expanding biotechnology ecosystem. 

Government and industry leaders, national security experts, UARCs, FFRDCS, national labs, entrepreneurs, and academic innovators will jointly discuss and showcase how to rapidly transition biotechnology-enabled technologies into operational capabilities that effectively address critical national security challenges.” 

This in-person event will take place on June 2-3 in Lexington, MA. Learn more and register here. 

GHS 2026

From GHS: “We’re excited to officially announce that the 4th Global Health Security Conference (GHS2026) will be held in Kuala Lumpur on the 9 – 12 June, 2026!”

“Building on the incredible momentum of GHS2024 in Sydney, we look forward to bringing together the global health security community once again – this time in one of Southeast Asia’s most vibrant and dynamic cities.”

“Registration and Call for Abstracts are now live!”

Learn more, submit abstracts, and register here.

Biosecurity Simulation Exercise (BSX 2026): Laboratory Incidents & Deliberate Biothreats 

From the Asia Centre for Health Security: “This table-top simulation exercise aims to enhance inter-sectoral and inter-disciplinary preparedness for laboratory biosafety and biosecurity (LBB) and deliberate biothreat events (DBE). Through lectures, discussions, and structured, scenario-driven exercises, participants will explore decision-making to detect, risk-assess, and manage high-consequence biological incidents under conditions of incomplete information and unfolding events. Participants will collaborate in teams, building on expert perspectives to address issues in surveillance, diagnostics, public health response, security assessment, and risk communication.” 

This in-person event will be held from August 27-28. Learn more and register here. 

NEW: Private Sector – EU CBRN Risk Mitigation Centres of Excellence Initiative – Call for Expression of Interest  

From the UNICRI: “UNICRI, within the framework of the European Union Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Risk Mitigation Centres of Excellence (EU CBRN CoE) Initiative invites private sector organizations to express their interest in engaging with the Initiative and its partner countries to strengthen global capacities for the prevention, detection and response to CBRN risks. 

The EU CBRN CoE Initiative, funded by the European Union, supports more than 60 partner countries across multiple regions through capacity-building, training, policy development and technical cooperation. The Initiative seeks to enhance dialogue and collaboration with relevant private sector stakeholders. This call aims to identify and engage companies and organizations interested in contributing their expertise through technical exchanges, consultations, awareness-raising activities and potential cooperation initiatives with the EU CBRN CoE Initiative and its partner countries.”  

The deadline for submissions is May 8. Learn more and register here. 

NEW: INTERPOL Global Biosecurity Conference 2026 – Call for Abstracts  

From INTERPOL: “The 2^nd INTERPOL Global Biosecurity Conference brings together law enforcement and partner agencies, biosecurity experts, and academia from different regions and backgrounds to discuss the latest developments in global biosecurity. We invite biosecurity experts, researchers and scholars to submit an abstract, subject to a selection process, to present your work during the conference. The abstract should cover one of the following topics: global biological threat landscape, indicators and early-warning for biological threats, health and law enforcement coordination, forensics, biosecurity at borders, science and technology innovation, and legal, policy and information-sharing.”  

The call for abstracts is now open, and the applications are due by May 22. Learn more and apply here.  

Threats to Security: The Nexus of AI & Biotechnology Research Workshop – Call for Abstracts  

From the MIT Media Lab: “The convergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and biotechnology is rapidly reshaping the global innovation landscape, generating transformative opportunities across health, science, and industry. At the same time, this convergence introduces complex and evolving security challenges, particularly due to the dual-use nature of these technologies. Advances in AI-enabled biological research, ranging from computational genomics to automated laboratory systems, are accelerating discovery cycles and lowering barriers to entry, raising important questions for biosecurity, governance, and strategic stability. 

For NATO and its Allies, these developments present a multidimensional challenge. Emerging risks include the potential misuse of AI-enabled tools to design or enhance biological agents, vulnerabilities in critical health and research infrastructures, and the growing role of AI in shaping information environments during biological crises. At the same time, uncertainty surrounding the feasibility, scalability, and detectability of such risks underscores the need for balanced, evidence-based assessments that avoid both underestimation and overstatement. 

This Workshop is open to NATO Nations and will be conducted at NATO Unclassified.” 

Submission deadline is April 26 at 11:59 PM CT. Learn more and apply here. 

AIxBiosecurity Summer Fellowship 2026 

From ERA: “ERA, in partnership with the Cambridge Biosecurity Hub, is launching our first 10-week, full-time AIxBiosecurity research fellowship dedicated to tackling biosecurity risks amplified by recent advances in frontier AI capabilities. This fully funded programme equips researchers to investigate ways to reduce extreme risks from engineered and natural biological threats amid rapidly advancing biotechnology and emerging AI capabilities. After a successful 2 month pilot programme, we’re excited to continue working with some of the top talent in AI and Biosecurity.” 

Applications for the fellowship are now open, and the deadline to apply is April 27. Learn more and apply here.  

Strengthening Biosecurity & Pandemic Preparedness Through Intergenerational Dialogue – Applications Open  

From the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI): “As breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI) and biotechnology outpace global governance, the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and The Elders are launching a new intergenerational initiative to generate the ideas and leadership needed for a safer future against biological threats. 

NTI and The Elders are pleased to invite applications for a high-level Intergenerational Dialogue that will focus on emerging technologies, pandemic preparedness, prevention, and response (PPR), and global biosecurity governance. This dialogue will bring together early career professionals with senior global leaders to explore how technological innovation can strengthen health security while reducing catastrophic biological risks. 

Building on NTI’s Next Generation for Biosecurity project and The Elders’ leadership on pandemic prevention and global cooperation, this initiative will foster candid exchange across generations, elevate diverse perspectives, and generate forward-looking ideas to inform global advocacy and policy priorities.” 

The application deadline is Sunday, May 3 at 11:59 PM ET. Learn more and apply here.

Developing a Maximum Containment Laboratory: BSL-4 Biosafety and Biosecurity Considerations – A Webinar 

From the Asia Centre for Health Security: “Maximum containment laboratories, or BSL-4 labs, provide unique capacity for work on high consequence infectious disease (HCID) pathogens. To enhance national outbreak readiness, Singapore has been strengthening laboratory capability to include a maximum containment laboratory. During this webinar, Adj A/Prof Gladys Tan will share insights from the journey to develop such a lab and discuss biosafety and biosecurity risks that need to be recognized and mitigated.” 

This virtual event will be held on May 7 from 5:30-6:30 PM Singapore Time (GMT +08:00). Learn more and register here.  

The Global Congress on Chemical Security and Emerging Threats – Call for Abstracts 

From INTERPOL: “The 6th Plenary Meeting of the Global Congress on Chemical Security & Emerging Threats will be in Panama City from 21-24 Sept 2026. The event brings together governments, industry, academia, & international orgs to strengthen chem security through collaboration & action. By providing a platform for multi-sector global cooperation and partnership, the Global Congress enables members to build relationships, exchange expertise, share important information on emerging threats and innovative best practices, and enhance capabilities.” 

The call for abstracts is now open, and the applications are due by May 15. Learn more about the conference here and apply here. 

Bio-attribution Challenge 

From DARPA: “Translate your bio-attribution research into national security impact. In an era of unprecedented biological data generation, the ability to rapidly determine the origin of a biological event — whether natural, accidental, or intentional — is a critical component of national security and public health. To meet the challenge of finding the “needle in a haystack” within this data deluge, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has launched the Bio-Attribution Challenge. 

This virtual competition calls on innovators to develop a new generation of tools capable of analyzing petabyte-scale datasets in near real-time, far exceeding the capacity of current systems. The goal is to revolutionize how we identify and trace the source of biological sequences, ensuring a faster, more effective response to potential threats. Register for virtual competition to win a share of $180,000 in Prizes.” 

The deadline to register is June 15. Learn more and register here. 

Welcome to this week’s Pandora Report! This issue highlights recent GMU biodefense research and publications, emerging insights on deterrence and coercive diplomacy, new developments in vaccine diplomacy and artificial intelligence governance, and key updates across biosecurity, chemical weapons policy, and global threat reduction efforts.  

Interested in Terrorism and Complex Threat Landscapes? Join Counter Terrorism 2026! 

The Schar School and HS Today will be hosting the Counterterrorism Summit 2026, a mission-focused convening that brings together government, law enforcement, academia, and the private sector to discuss emerging terrorist organizations, shifting technology adoption, critical infrastructure risks, transnational threat linkages and the role of innovation and AI in extremist operations. 

• Monday, April 20 (9:00 AM EDT) – Tuesday, April 21 (4:00 PM EDT) 

Thinking about Getting a Master’s in Biodefense? 

GMU’s Schar School of Policy and Government has an upcoming recruitment event:   

• Information Session on Biodefense Master’s Program on Tuesday, May 12 (12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT)   

Schar School Well-Represented at Intelligence Studies Consortium Conference 

By Chris Quillen, PhD in Biodefense (’25)  

George Mason University’s Schar School made its presence known at the Intelligence Studies Consortium’s (ISC) Spring Conference on March 24-25, 2026. Established by the National Intelligence University in 2018, the Intelligence Studies Consortium brings together students from leading universities with intelligence-related programs including GMU. This year’s conference titled “The Intelligence Profession: Future Challenges and Opportunities” was hosted by Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies and featured a combination of keynote speakers, student and faculty panels, student and faculty poster sessions, networking opportunities, and a career fair.  In addition to GMU, students and faculty from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Georgetown University, Howard University, Indiana University, the Institute for World Politics, James Madison University, Johns Hopkins University, Mercyhurst University, National Intelligence University, Patrick Henry College, Soka University of America, the University of California-Merced, the University of New Hampshire, the University of Virginia, and Virginia Tech presented their research. In total, nearly 500 people representing 25 higher education institutions registered for the symposium which included 12 panels with 50 people and 33 poster sessions. 

Faculty and students from the Schar School appeared throughout the conference. Chris Quillen, PhD Biodefense ’25, moderated the panel “Weapons of Mass Destruction, Counterterrorism, and Nation-States: A Case for Maintaining Vigilance” featuring two current students and one possible future student in Biodefense.  Becca Earnhardt, PhD candidate in Biodefense, discussed the differences between traditional and internet biosurveillance, the utility of social media data during previous outbreaks, and lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic in her presentation on “Biosurveillance in the Age of Social Media.”  Sandra Roshonda Thomas, MS student in Biodefense, argued “The Absence of Implementation in the National Biodefense Strategy is a National Security Risk.”  Sam Rooker, currently at JMU and recently accepted into the Biodefense program for the fall of 2026, presented “DIY Doomsday: WMD Development as a Cottage Industry in an Interconnected Scientific Marketplace” analyzing the growing threat of commercial scientific technology use in WMD development drawing on his time as an intern for the Royal United Services Institute. 

Ellen Laipson, the Director of the Master’s in International Security degree program and the Center for Security Policy Studies at GMU, moderated the panel on “The Analyst’s Edge: Innovation in Intelligence Tradecraft and Methodology” featuring two GMU students.  Chris Quillen presented his research on his lessons learned from teaching the twin intelligence failures of the September 11^th attacks and the failure to find WMD in Iraq in “Beyond the Classics: Keeping Intelligence Failure Case Studies Relevant.”  Esha Doshi, a Master of Public Administration candidate and Northern Virginia Public Service Fellow at GMU, also presented on “Rebuilding Public-Private Partnerships and Trust.” 

On the first day of the conference GMU students Mark Greene, Kevin Otwoma, Bryce Ricken, and Sara Slaughter presented “Netflix of Intelligence: Leveraging Emerging Technologies to Transform Intelligence Dissemination” during the Plenary Session on “Challenges Facing Intelligence Practitioners in the Evolving Landscape of Public-Private Partnerships and Intelligence Sharing.”  Their presentation focused on “reimagining” how finished intelligence can be delivered to the customer using new technologies and addressed the pros and cons of the use of AI to tailor and package intelligence for the decision-maker.     

Several Schar School graduate students also presented posters including Nick Kesler on “The Strategy Stack: An AI-Enabled Research Architecture for Strategic Coherence in an Era of Great Power Competition,” Yenting Lin on “Digital Propaganda: How China Uses Short-Form Videos to Undermine Taiwan’s Democratic Resilience,” and Kunj Malhotra on “Preparing the Intelligence Workforce for a Human–Machine Future: Building Readiness for AI‑Enabled National Security.” 

George Mason University’s Biodefense PhD Student Publication Received Recognition 

At the first annual Schar School PhD Awards held last week, recent Biodefense PhD graduate Christopher Quillen won for Best Publication (Sole-Authored) for his article “Dead Sheep Tell No Tales: Aum Shinrikyo’s Alleged Sarin Test in Australia Never Happened,” published in Studies in Conflict and Terrorism. In the article, Chris debunks the myth that Aum tested sarin on sheep at their ranch in Australia in the early 1990s. He found that Aum’s activities were more consistent with an intent to mine uranium in pursuit of nuclear weapons. 

GMU Alumni Publishes Review on Coercing Syria on Chemical Weapons 

Former PhD student of George Mason University’s Biodefense Program, Chris Quillen, recently published a review in Arms Control Today on the book, Coercing Syria on Chemical Weapons: A Case Study on Deterrence and Coercive Diplomacy by Matthew Moran, Wyn Q. Bowen, and Jeffrey W. Knopf, which assesses theories of deterrence and coercive diplomacy during the Syrian civil war. Quillen highlights that one of the book’s central arguments that traditional “resolve plus bombs” approaches, which are positions of threats of retaliation and occasional airstrikes, are insufficient to deter CW use and renunciation, emphasizing instead the importance of understanding motivations of the coerced and offering credible assurances if targets of coercion cooperate. 

Biodefense Graduate Publishes on Vaccine Diplomacy in Global Health Governance  

Olivia Parker, a 2024 graduate of the Biodefense M.S. program, recently published “Carrots, Sticks, and Dirty Tricks: Reevaluating Vaccine Diplomacy After the COVID-19 Pandemic,” in the fall 2025 issue of Global Health Governance. The article, based on her master’s capstone paper, argues that during the COVID-19 pandemic China, Russia, and the United States used vaccines as a tool to advance their pre-existing foreign policy goals, contra to the theory of ‘vaccine diplomacy’ as originally conceived by Dr. Peter Hotez. While Hotez’s theory may not be generalizable beyond the specific Cold War dynamics that inspired it, it presents an aspirational normative ideal for international vaccine sharing policy. Ms. Parker is currently a senior policy advisor with the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology. 

Further Reading:  

• “Viruses allegedly stolen from high-security lab cause stir in Brazil,” Mariana Lenharo, Nature 
• “What on earth is ‘vaccine beer’ and could it possibly work?” Julia Musto, The Independent 

Stanford University’s New AI Index 2026 Annual Report Published 

Stanford University’s Institute for Human-Centered AI has released the ninth edition of its AI report, titled The AI Index 2026 Annual Report. As AI systems continue to advance rapidly, the report raises key questions about the surrounding infrastructure needed to govern and evaluate these technologies, including governance frameworks, evaluation methods, education systems, and data infrastructure. This year’s edition examines how AI is being tested ambitiously across reasoning, safety, and real-world task performance. It also includes new estimates of generative AI’s economic value and emerging evidence of its impact on labor markets, along with an analytical framework on AI sovereignty and dedicated chapters on AI’s expanding role in science and medicine. 

Further Reading: 

• “Infinite Potential—Insights from the Viral Uplift Scenario,” Anton Shenk, Matt Chessen, Barbara Del Castello, Gregory Smith, Richard S. Girven, RAND  
• “Human scientists trounce the best AI agents on complex tasks,” Nicola Jones, Nature 
• “A biosecurity playbook for AI companies,” Lennart Justen, Substack 

IN OTHER NEWS 

Wildlife Trade and Zoonotic Disease Risk  

• “Here’s how the wildlife trade is fueling disease outbreaks across the globe,” Brady Dennis, The Washington Post 
• “Almost half of traded wildlife carries disease-causing pathogens,” Claudia Steiner, Nature 
• “Wildlife trade drives animal-to-human pathogen transmission over 40 years,” Gippet et al., Science 
• “How bad for humans is wildlife trade? A new study has answers,” Jonathan Lambert, NPR 
• “Trafficked animals more likely to share pathogens with humans, says study,” Sarah Newey, The Telegraph 

Chemical Weapons and State-Level Threats 

• “OPCW Director-General calls for strengthened international efforts to end the Syrian chemical weapons dossier,”  OPCW 
• “‘Global efforts needed to eliminate former Syrian regime’s chemical weapons programme remnants’,” Qatar Tribune 
• “Silent Killers, Not Signals: Why States Use Poison in Assassinations,” Naomi Rio and Glenn Cross, War on the Rocks 

Governance, Public Health Leadership and International Coordination 

• “Malaysia advances responsible use of life sciences through national RULS workshop,” World Health Organization (WHO) 
• “Top CDC director pick Erica Schwartz tests White House political balancing act,” Dan Diamond and Lena H. Sun, The Washington Post 

NEW: Webinar – Balancing Research Security and Open Science  

From the Council of Canadian Academies: “In October 2025, the Council of Canadian Academies published their report, Balancing Research Security and Open Science. The report, commissioned by the Public Health Agency of Canada in collaboration with the Defence Research and Development Canada, offers an independent assessment of national and foreign efforts to promote research security and highlights potential strategies to safeguard national interests while preserving the openness that drives discovery, innovation, and prosperity. 

The Centre for Biosecurity is hosting a webinar where members of the Expert Panel on Sensitive Research of Concern are invited to provide an overview of their findings, including measures to identify sensitive research, determine when it is of concern, and how to safeguard it throughout the phases of the research process.” 

The English session will be held on April 15 at 2:00 PM EDT. The French session will be held on April 22 at 11:00 AM EDT. Learn more and register here. 

NEW: Shared Risk, Shared Responsibility: Lessons from Canada on Allied Burden-Sharing in Global WMD Threat Reduction 

From the Stimson Center: “Join the Stimson Center for a public fireside chat on global WMD proliferation challenges with senior officials from Global Affairs Canada, moderated by Stimson President and CEO Brian Finlay. The norms holding back the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction are under pressure from every direction: The use of chemical weapons has been documented on the battlefield in Ukraine, the full scope of the former Assad regime’s chemical weapons program in Syria is still being investigated, and global attention is focused on Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile. Particularly at the nexus of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) security, rapid developments in disruptive technologies present heightened risks requiring deft management that does not jeopardize the many beneficial opportunities these technologies offer. 

Canada has been a leading member of the Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction since the initiative’s founding nearly 25 years ago. Join the Stimson Center for a conversation that takes stock of that record: the lessons learned, the gaps exposed, and the hard questions about what allied burden-sharing in weapons of mass destruction threat reduction must look like in an era when the old assurances no longer hold.” 

This hybrid event will be held on April 20 from 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM EDT. Learn more and register here. 

NEW: External Review of Environmental, Biosafety, and Biosecurity Considerations for Synthetic Cell Research and Development: Report Release Webinar 

From the National Academies: “Engineering biology holds great potential to transform biotechnology research to provide innovative solutions to critical challenges in health, agriculture, industry, and beyond. Scientists actively have worked to improve the design and creation of synthetic cells. Recent calls for increased predictability of designing cells that have desired functions upon their development highlight the pressing need to develop an actionable and contemplative approach to addressing environmental, safety, and security risks while maintaining research advancement and productivity. This study will analyze existing and needed approaches for assessing and reducing risks and maintaining benefits of synthetic cells to inform policy and protect public safety.” 

This webinar will be held on April 29, from 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EDT. Learn more and register here. 

NEW: Biotechnology and Resilient Human Systems Workshop 2026 

From the MIT Lincoln Laboratory: “The focus of the 2026 Biotechnology and Resilient Human Systems Workshop will be Preparing for Future Biological Effects. This two-day, in-person event will feature sessions highlighting the dual-use nature of biotechnology, building a resilient biosurveillance system, and developing broad medical countermeasures. The workshop will feature keynote presentations from leaders across the U.S. government highlighting critical national security challenges and opportunities created from advanced biotechnology and will also exhibit state-of-the-art research and innovations from the rapidly expanding biotechnology ecosystem. 

Government and industry leaders, national security experts, UARCs, FFRDCS, national labs, entrepreneurs, and academic innovators will jointly discuss and showcase how to rapidly transition biotechnology-enabled technologies into operational capabilities that effectively address critical national security challenges.” 

This in-person event will take place on June 2-3 in Lexington, MA. Learn more and register here. 

International Conference CBRNe Research & Innovation  

From CBRNE: “The last 40 years have demonstrated that both military and civilian populations could be exposed to highly hazardous CBRNE agents following conflicts, natural outbreaks and disasters, industrial incidents or terrorist attacks. Worldwide, researchers, responders and industrial capacities have been commited to provide adapted response to these challenges. The CBRNE Research & Innovation Conference includes workshops and demonstrations of innovative materials, technologies and procedures, according to the following themes: Detection (identification), Protection (decontamination, medical countermeasures), and risk & crisis management.  

This event will take place in Arcachon, France, from May 19 – 21, 2026. Learn more and RSVP here. 

GHS 2026

From GHS: “We’re excited to officially announce that the 4th Global Health Security Conference (GHS2026) will be held in Kuala Lumpur on the 9 – 12 June, 2026!”

“Building on the incredible momentum of GHS2024 in Sydney, we look forward to bringing together the global health security community once again – this time in one of Southeast Asia’s most vibrant and dynamic cities.”

“Registration and Call for Abstracts are now live!”

Learn more, submit abstracts, and register here.

Biosecurity Simulation Exercise (BSX 2026): Laboratory Incidents & Deliberate Biothreats 

From the Asia Centre for Health Security: “This table-top simulation exercise aims to enhance inter-sectoral and inter-disciplinary preparedness for laboratory biosafety and biosecurity (LBB) and deliberate biothreat events (DBE). Through lectures, discussions, and structured, scenario-driven exercises, participants will explore decision-making to detect, risk-assess, and manage high-consequence biological incidents under conditions of incomplete information and unfolding events. Participants will collaborate in teams, building on expert perspectives to address issues in surveillance, diagnostics, public health response, security assessment, and risk communication.” 

This in-person event will be held from August 27-28. Learn more and register here. 

NEW: AIxBio Hackathon  

From Apart Research: “The AIxBio Hackathon brings together researchers, engineers, biosecurity professionals, and AI safety enthusiasts to work on one of the most urgent intersections in safety: how AI is changing biological risk, and what we can build to stay ahead. 

Over three days, participants will develop tools, prototypes, and research addressing real gaps in biosecurity infrastructure, from DNA synthesis screening and pandemic early warning systems to practitioner tools that don’t exist yet.” 

This event will take place from April 24-26. Learn more and join here. 

NEW: Threats to Security: The Nexus of AI & Biotechnology Research Workshop – Call for Abstracts  

From the MIT Media Lab: “The convergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and biotechnology is rapidly reshaping the global innovation landscape, generating transformative opportunities across health, science, and industry. At the same time, this convergence introduces complex and evolving security challenges, particularly due to the dual-use nature of these technologies. Advances in AI-enabled biological research, ranging from computational genomics to automated laboratory systems, are accelerating discovery cycles and lowering barriers to entry, raising important questions for biosecurity, governance, and strategic stability. 

For NATO and its Allies, these developments present a multidimensional challenge. Emerging risks include the potential misuse of AI-enabled tools to design or enhance biological agents, vulnerabilities in critical health and research infrastructures, and the growing role of AI in shaping information environments during biological crises. At the same time, uncertainty surrounding the feasibility, scalability, and detectability of such risks underscores the need for balanced, evidence-based assessments that avoid both underestimation and overstatement. 

This Workshop is open to NATO Nations and will be conducted at NATO Unclassified.” 

Submission deadline is April 26 at 11:59 PM CT. Learn more and apply here. 

Council on Strategic Risks Mid-Career Biodefense Bootcamp Fellowship – Call for Applications 

From CSR: “The Council on Strategic Risks (CSR) is announcing an open call for applications for our 2026 Mid-Career Biodefense Bootcamp, a unique fellowship opportunity that we will host in the United States. 

Whether arising naturally, by accident, or through a deliberate effort to weaponize infectious diseases, biological threats pose grave risks to international security and stability. This is a highly dynamic time for biological risks, as we are witnessing an incredible pace of technological change against the backdrop of a shifting, dangerous global security landscape. Biological risks are as concerning as ever—and we are entering a new era in terms of the tools and approaches available to mitigate them. Informed by the unique experiences of its staff and years of collaboration across its expert networks, CSR’s work related to biological threats ties to a bold vision: making biological weapons the first category of weapons of mass destruction to be rendered obsolete in terms of their mass-destruction potential; and preventing any future infectious disease outbreaks from reaching pandemic scale. To achieve this goal, CSR is continuing to develop and cultivate creative solutions to address biological threats, including ways countries can effectively prepare for them.” 

Applications are due on April 24. Learn more and apply here. 

AIxBiosecurity Summer Fellowship 2026 

From ERA: “ERA, in partnership with the Cambridge Biosecurity Hub, is launching our first 10-week, full-time AIxBiosecurity research fellowship dedicated to tackling biosecurity risks amplified by recent advances in frontier AI capabilities. This fully funded programme equips researchers to investigate ways to reduce extreme risks from engineered and natural biological threats amid rapidly advancing biotechnology and emerging AI capabilities. After a successful 2 month pilot programme, we’re excited to continue working with some of the top talent in AI and Biosecurity.” 

Applications for the fellowship are now open, and the deadline to apply is April 27. Learn more and apply here.  

Strengthening Biosecurity & Pandemic Preparedness Through Intergenerational Dialogue – Applications Open  

From the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI): “As breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI) and biotechnology outpace global governance, the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and The Elders are launching a new intergenerational initiative to generate the ideas and leadership needed for a safer future against biological threats. 

NTI and The Elders are pleased to invite applications for a high-level Intergenerational Dialogue that will focus on emerging technologies, pandemic preparedness, prevention, and response (PPR), and global biosecurity governance. This dialogue will bring together early career professionals with senior global leaders to explore how technological innovation can strengthen health security while reducing catastrophic biological risks. 

Building on NTI’s Next Generation for Biosecurity project and The Elders’ leadership on pandemic prevention and global cooperation, this initiative will foster candid exchange across generations, elevate diverse perspectives, and generate forward-looking ideas to inform global advocacy and policy priorities.” 

The application deadline is Sunday, May 3 at 11:59 PM ET. Learn more and apply here.

Developing a Maximum Containment Laboratory: BSL-4 Biosafety and Biosecurity Considerations – A Webinar 

From the Asia Centre for Health Security: “Maximum containment laboratories, or BSL-4 labs, provide unique capacity for work on high consequence infectious disease (HCID) pathogens. To enhance national outbreak readiness, Singapore has been strengthening laboratory capability to include a maximum containment laboratory. During this webinar, Adj A/Prof Gladys Tan will share insights from the journey to develop such a lab and discuss biosafety and biosecurity risks that need to be recognized and mitigated.” 

This virtual event will be held on May 7 from 5:30-6:30 PM Singapore Time (GMT +08:00). Learn more and register here.  

The Global Congress on Chemical Security and Emerging Threats – Call for Abstracts 

From INTERPOL: “The 6th Plenary Meeting of the Global Congress on Chemical Security & Emerging Threats will be in Panama City from 21-24 Sept 2026. The event brings together governments, industry, academia, & international orgs to strengthen chem security through collaboration & action. By providing a platform for multi-sector global cooperation and partnership, the Global Congress enables members to build relationships, exchange expertise, share important information on emerging threats and innovative best practices, and enhance capabilities.” 

The call for abstracts is now open, and the applications are due by May 15. Learn more about the conference here and apply here. 

Bio-attribution Challenge 

From DARPA: “Translate your bio-attribution research into national security impact. In an era of unprecedented biological data generation, the ability to rapidly determine the origin of a biological event — whether natural, accidental, or intentional — is a critical component of national security and public health. To meet the challenge of finding the “needle in a haystack” within this data deluge, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has launched the Bio-Attribution Challenge. 

This virtual competition calls on innovators to develop a new generation of tools capable of analyzing petabyte-scale datasets in near real-time, far exceeding the capacity of current systems. The goal is to revolutionize how we identify and trace the source of biological sequences, ensuring a faster, more effective response to potential threats. Register for virtual competition to win a share of $180,000 in Prizes.” 

The deadline to register is June 15. Learn more and register here. 

Welcome to this week’s Pandora Report! This issue highlights upcoming Schar School events, including a virtual open house and the Counterterrorism Summit 2026, alongside national recognition of its top-ranked homeland security program and a featured analysis on the resurgence of measles and vaccine hesitancy in the United States.  

Considering Graduate School in Policy, Government, or International Affairs? 

The George Mason University will host a virtual open house to learn more about the Schar School of Policy and Government and their academic programs: 

• Monday, April 27 (7:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT) 

Interested in Terrorism and Complex Threat Landscapes? Join Counter Terrorism 2026! 

The Schar School and HS Today will be hosting the Counterterrorism Summit 2026, a mission-focused convening that brings together government, law enforcement, academia, and the private sector to discuss emerging terrorist organizations, shifting technology adoption, critical infrastructure risks, transnational threat linkages and the role of innovation and AI in extremist operations. 

• Monday, April 20 (9:00 AM EDT) – Tuesday, April 21 (4:00 PM EDT) 

Schar School Highly Rated for Homeland Security Graduate Education 
 
The Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University has been recognized by U.S. News and World Report as having the No. 4 graduate program in the nation – and the top program in Virginia – for homeland security and emergency management in 2026. This marks the ninth year in a row that the program has ranked among the top 10 nationally.  

This achievement was due in large part to the success of the Biodefense Graduate Program, led by Professor Gregory Koblentz. The program offers a range of academic options, including graduate certificates, both online and in-person Master of Science degrees in Biodefense, and a PhD in Biodefense. The program has been active for more than 20 years and has over 400 alumni working in the public, private, non-profit, and academic sectors in the United States and around the world.  

The Schar School’s other graduate programs continue to excel as well. Its public policy specialty areas were among the top performers this year, with all seven of its ranked subject areas in the top 50 nationally and in the top 25 among public universities. Six subject areas ranked No. 1 in Virginia overall, and four ranked No. 1 in the Washington, D.C., region among public universities.  

“As we mark the 10th anniversary of the school’s naming, these rankings speak to what the Schar School has become over the past decade: a place of real national consequence in public affairs education,” said Mark Rozell, Dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government. “From homeland security and nonprofit management to international global policy and public finance, these rankings reflect the breadth of the Schar School’s excellence and the growing national recognition of its strengths.” 

The Return of Measles: Vaccine Hesitancy and the Erosion of U.S. Public Health  

By: Cameron Daniel Benton 

As globalization increases and societies becomes more interconnected, developing and maintaining strong public health measures is more vital than ever. However, previously eradicated diseases are reemerging in the United States due to vaccine hesitancy and shifting policies under the current presidential administration. The 2025 measles outbreak in West Texas serves as a warning sign of what may follow if the nation continues to neglect preventable diseases. The 2025 West Texas measles outbreak has spread to neighboring states, Mexico, and Canadaⁱ and represents a risk to immunocompromised individuals and, in rare cases, to vaccinated individuals through breakthrough infections. ⁱⁱ 

The Trump Administration is actively pivoting away from established, scientific-based evidence and towards dubious alternatives. This shift has damaging implications for local communities that rely on scientific guidance from medical professionals. For example, during the 2025 measles outbreak, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a known vaccine skeptic, initially downplayed the severity of the crisis, misleadingly suggested that vitamin A prevents measles, and directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to distribute additional vitamin A to the Texas Department of Health. ⁱⁱⁱ As a result, some children were hospitalized with both vitamin A toxicity and measles.^iv Although Secretary Kennedy later admitted in a Fox News op-ed that the MMR vaccine is “crucial to avoiding potentially deadly disease,”^v the conflicting messages from senior government officials contribute to ongoing vaccine hesitancy.  

Vaccine hesitancy is one of several factors for parents to forego life-saving vaccines for easily preventable diseases such as measles. A May 2023 study highlights various social factors, such as misinformation, low trust, and limited perception of personal risk and susceptibility to measles, ^vi as major drivers of the decline in MMR vaccination rates. The Atlantic interviewed Peter (no last name provided), whose daughter passed away during the 2025 outbreak, which was the first measles-related death in the United States in a decade. Peter remarked that “[measles] is not so new for us” and “everybody has it” since his grandparents and parents had it. He also said that “the vaccination has stuff that we don’t trust.” ^vii As the vaccination rates and trust in vaccines decrease, children will become more susceptible to otherwise preventable diseases.  

Meanwhile, Dr. Ralph Abraham, the CDC’s Principal Deputy Director, recently said that the uptick in measles cases is “just the cost of doing business with our borders being somewhat porous for global and international travel.” He also emphasized the “personal freedom” of communities that choose to remain unvaccinated.^viii This attitude towards measles demonstrates a shift in focus from robust, proactive public health measures to a more reactive approach. Trust in the government will likely decline as the American public perceives low prioritization of preventable disease outbreaks. Continued measles outbreaks will likely disrupt childhood education, become more common throughout the country, and become deadlier.   

The current administration is reversing policy on vaccine safety through more than just public messaging, which is reflected in the data the CDC tracks in the United States. A recent study tracked how certain CDC databases had “unexplained pauses” in their updates. As of October 28^th, 2025, 38 (46%) of these databases were paused, and of these, 33 (87%) were related to vaccine monitoring. 34 of the paused databases were not updated within 6 months of the study. These long pauses jeopardize the evidence that public health officials, scientists, government officials, and medical professionals use when evaluating information. The lack of transparency around the pauses further contributes to the decline in public trust.  

In 2025, Secretary Kennedy unilaterally fired the entire board of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)^ix and reduced the recommended childhood vaccine schedule from 17 to 11 vaccines, citing concerns that children receive “too many” vaccines.^x These actions align with the administration’s overall indifference towards vaccines and public health. In response, 28 states rejected the revised guidelines and continue to follow recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics.^xi As parents continue to forgo the MMR vaccine, we may someday see the return of mumps and rubella in the United States. Conflicting vaccine information from two respected scientific agencies will very likely deepen the public’s distrust regarding new recommendations.  

Secretary Kennedy’s restructuring and dismantling efforts of various health departments do not exist in a vacuum and align with President Trump’s transactional view of domestic and international politics. On January 22, 2026, the Trump Administration recently completed the United States’ withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO). This withdrawal happened exactly one year after President Trump signed an executive order to initiate the withdrawal process. ^xii While the long-term effects remain to be seen, the WHO has now lost major funding for various initiatives to combat and monitor various diseases.  

These new public health policies also have negative financial and economic impacts during outbreaks. When children are sick with measles, parents often need to take time off work, pull children out of school, take them to the hospital or urgent care, spend money on medicine, and their jobs lose productivity. State and federal officials also spend valuable resources managing outbreaks, establishing contact tracing, utilizing diagnostics, and initiating emergency responses. ^xiii Researchers estimate the 2019 measles outbreak in Washington state, for example, cost approximately $3.4 million for 71 measles cases, illustrating how reactive response efforts to preventable diseases generate disproportionate financial strain. ^xiv   

South Carolina’s Department of Public Health has reported 977 cases of measles in Spartanburg County as of April 3^rd 2026,^xv Utah’s Department of Health and Human Services  reported 362 cases^xvi and Virginia confirmed five cases as of April 1^st, 2026. ^xvii As of April 2^nd 2026, the CDC reported 1,671 confirmed cases of measles within 33 different jurisdictions in the United States. ^xviii The actual number of measles cases are likely underreported due to a lag in reported cases, people not going to the clinic, and the CDC’s shutdown of many centralized health databases. ^xix As measles continues to spread throughout the country, the Trump Administration can take steps to ensure the public remains healthy, children are protected, and the economy remains stable. The administration, state, and local government officials should invest in measles-related diagnostic kits, training for healthcare workers, and temporarily increase MMR vaccine production. President Trump can also sign new executive orders directing artificial intelligence (AI) companies to shift efforts toward medical research and pharmaceutical production. This will ensure Americans remain healthy, make the U.S. competitive in global markets, and stimulate the economy with positive, tangible, and healthy outcomes. Scientists and public health officials should coordinate, establish, and maintain decentralized health databases to monitor disease reports and track data trends. ^xx This will reduce dependency on the federal government and enhance accessibility.  

Further Reading:  

¹ “Top CDC Official Says Measles Surge Is the ‘Cost of Doing Business’,”  Neurology Advisor  

² “Utah Measles Outbreak Response,” Utah Department of Health and Human Services 

³ “Measles, Vitamin A, and RFK Jr.’s About-Face,” Christopher Labos, McGill Office for Science and Society  

⁴ “West Texas children treated for vitamin A toxicity as medical disinformation spreads alongside measles outbreak” University of Nebraska Medical Center  

⁵ “ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.: Measles outbreak is call to action for all of us,” Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Fox News   

⁶ “Why Parents Say No to Having Their Children Vaccinated against Measles: A Systematic Review of the Social Determinants of Parental Perceptions on MMR Vaccine Hesitancy,” Novilla et al., 2023   

⁷ “His Daughter Was America’s First Measles Death in a Decade,” Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic  

⁸ “Members of CDC vaccine panel ousted by RFK Jr. say committee has ‘lost credibility’,” Mary Kekatos, ABC News  

⁹ “HHS announces unprecedented overhaul of US childhood vaccine schedule,” Stephanie Soucheray and Liz Szabo, CIDRAP  

¹⁰ “28 states reject the CDC’s new childhood vaccine schedule, KFF finds,” Austin Littrell, Medical Economics  

¹¹ “United States Completes WHO Withdrawal,” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services  

¹² “The Economic Impact of the Ongoing Measles Outbreak,” Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health  

¹³ “Societal Costs of a Measles Outbreak,” Pike et al., 2022  

¹⁴ “2025 Measles Outbreak,” South Carolina Department of Public Health  

¹⁵ “About Measles,” Virginia Department of Health  

IN OTHER NEWS 

Chemical and Biological Weapons, Conflict, and WMD Programs  

• “The “Yellow Fever Plot”: Biological Warfare in the American Civil War,” Matthew D. Turner, Cureus  
• “CBWNet mourns the passing of Kathryn Nixdorff,” CBWNet 
• “Dr Delay: Apartheid-era chemical weapons head Wouter Basson to face disciplinary hearing,” Marianne Thamm, Daily Maverick  
• “Bad chemistry: Who synthesized the poison that killed Navalny and what a subsidiary of a German company has to do with it,” Andrey Zayakin, Roman Dobrokhotov, and Timur Olevsky, The Insider 
• “DHS Launches Massive ‘Less Lethal’ Chemical Weapons Buying Spree,” Sam Biddle, The Intercept  
• “Perimeter Systems, Inc. Launches as Global, End-to-End Biosecurity Infrastructure Platform to Address Escalating Global Biodefense Needs,” PR Newswire 
• “Iran’s other would-be WMD program lies in ruins following strikes by Israel and the US,” Linus Höller, Defense News 
• “Iran’s Pasteur medical research centre ‘heavily damaged’ in strike,” Lilia Sebouai, The Telegraph 
• “Iran Does Not Have a Chem-Bio Weapons Program,” Al Mauroni, Substack 
• “WHO senior official warns of unseen health threats amid Middle East war,” Jenny Lei Ravelo, Devex 
• “Syria’s Khan Sheikhoun marks ninth anniversary of 2017 chemical attack,” Sana 

U.S. Health Policy, Government, and Institutional Changes 

• “Trump administration drops court fight to cap NIH payments for research overhead costs,” Megan Molteni, StatNews 
• “Trump administration’s secrecy on health deals alarms experts, governments,” Adam Taylor, WP 
• “RFK Jr. moves to broaden CDC vaccine panel eligibility after federal judge found new members unqualified,” Joseph Choi, The Hill 
• “One year after HHS layoffs, a department in disarray,” Rebecca Pifer Parduhn, Healthcare Dive 
• “H.H.S. Takes a First Step Toward Restoring Vaccine Advisory Committee,” Apoorva Mandavilli, NY Times  
• “Massive budget cuts for US science proposed again by Trump administration,” Max Kozlov, Dan Garisto, and Edward Chen, Nature 
• “Trump Slashed Science Funding. Now the U.S. Could Face a Costly Brain Drain,” Vivienne Walt, NY Times 
• “CDC, health groups spent millions to buy ads on websites flagged for misinformation,” Liz Szabo, CIDRAP 

AI, Synthetic Biology and Emerging Risks 

• “AI can design and run thousands of lab experiments without human hands. Humanity isn’t ready for the new risks this brings to biology,” The Conversation 
• “Scientists invented a fake disease. AI told people it was real,” Chris Stokel-Walker, Nature 

Public Health, COVID, and Epidemiology  

• “Long Covid Predicted to Cost OECD Economies $135 Billion a Year,” Ashleigh Furlong, Bloomberg 
• “CDC delays publishing report showing covid vaccine benefits,” Lena H. Sun, WP 
• “Medical supplies are stuck in Dubai, as clinics around the world face shortages,” Fatma Tanis, NPR 

Podcasts

•  “The Chemists’ Wars: The Origin Story of Chemistry, Episode 2,” American Chemical Society.  
• “#241 – AI designs genomes from scratch & outperforms virologists at lab work. Dr Richard Moulange asks: what could go wrong?” Robert Wiblin, 80000 Hours 

Thirty Years of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC): Histories, Achievements, Challenges 

The new open-access volume, Thirty Years of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC): Histories, Achievements, and Challenges, provides a timely assessment of one of the most successful arms control regimes, the Chemical Weapons Convention, while highlighting growing stressors relevant to biodefense. The CWC oversaw the verified destruction of the most declared stockpiles of chemical weapons in 2023 and established a robust inspection system through its implementation body – the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) based in The Hague, Netherlands.  

To mark the 30^th anniversary of the CWC, contributors organized a conference Thirty Years of Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC): Histories, Achievements, Challenges,” held in Berlin on October 5-6, 2023. This meeting aimed to obtain fresh perspectives from various stakeholders on where we are regarding the implementation of the CWC. It also reflected on the history and achievements of the CWC over the past thirty years and explored existing and future challenges as the world prepares for new geopolitical and security environments amid ongoing challenges in volatile regions such as Eastern Europe and the Middle East. In particular, the conference also addressed the question of whether the CWC can serve as a model for the abolition of nuclear weapons.  

NEW: Managing the Challenges of North Korean Nuclear/Missile Threats 

From HKS Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs: “On April 13, join us in welcoming Vann H. Van Diepen, Principle Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation.”

“This presentation will examine the most strategically significant advances in North Korea’s nuclear and missile capabilities and assess how these developments are reshaping Pyongyang’s doctrine, including a potential shift from a retaliatory deterrent toward a more integrated warfighting posture and a lowered threshold for use under a “pre-empting pre-emption” logic. It will explore the range of strategic and operational options these capabilities enable, as well as the risks of escalation stemming from the regime’s designation of South Korea as the “most hostile state.” Situating these dynamics within the broader geopolitical landscape, the talk will analyze how deepening ties with Russia and shifting relations with China may be influencing North Korea’s force development and strategic calculus. It will conclude with an evaluation of key policy alternatives—including deterrence adaptations, arms control and “freeze” proposals, and changes to the regional security architecture—to address the evolving nuclear and missile challenge.”

This hybrid event will take place on Monday, April 13 from 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM EDT. Learn more and register here. 

NEW: Webinar – Balancing Research Security and Open Science  

From the Council of Canadian Academies: “In October 2025, the Council of Canadian Academies published their report, Balancing Research Security and Open Science. The report, commissioned by the Public Health Agency of Canada in collaboration with the Defence Research and Development Canada, offers an independent assessment of national and foreign efforts to promote research security and highlights potential strategies to safeguard national interests while preserving the openness that drives discovery, innovation, and prosperity. 

The Centre for Biosecurity is hosting a webinar where members of the Expert Panel on Sensitive Research of Concern are invited to provide an overview of their findings, including measures to identify sensitive research, determine when it is of concern, and how to safeguard it throughout the phases of the research process.” 

The English session will be held on April 15 at 2:00 PM EDT. The French session will be held on April 22 at 11:00 AM EDT. Learn more and register here. 

CBRNe Convergence Canada 2026

CBRNe World is hosting its fourth CBRNe Convergence Canada event this year in Toronto! This event will focus on a range of topical issues, including responding to potential CBRN incidents in the High North, response to terrorist attacks at major sporting events, and presentations on Canadian response capabilities, and the largest CBRN/Hazmat exhibition in Canada.

This event will take place April 13-15 at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel, Toronto Downtown. Learn more here, and stay tuned for forthcoming information about CBRNe Convergence this November in Knoxville, TN!

2026 Preparedness Summit, “Protecting Our Communities: State and Local Preparedness in Action.” 

From the Preparedness Summit: “This event spotlights the need for increased self-reliance on state and local partnerships amid a changing federal policy and budget landscape. This conference will be the beginning of an ongoing national conversation focusing on the evolution of the public health preparedness system.” 

This virtual event will be held from April 13-16. Learn more and register here. 

International Conference CBRNe Research & Innovation  

From CBRNE: “The last 40 years have demonstrated that both military and civilian populations could be exposed to highly hazardous CBRNE agents following conflicts, natural outbreaks and disasters, industrial incidents or terrorist attacks. Worldwide, researchers, responders and industrial capacities have been commited to provide adapted response to these challenges. The CBRNE Research & Innovation Conference includes workshops and demonstrations of innovative materials, technologies and procedures, according to the following themes: Detection (identification), Protection (decontamination, medical countermeasures), and risk & crisis management.  

This event will take place in Arcachon, France, from May 19 – 21, 2026. Learn more and RSVP here. 

GHS 2026

From GHS: “We’re excited to officially announce that the 4th Global Health Security Conference (GHS2026) will be held in Kuala Lumpur on the 9 – 12 June, 2026!”

“Building on the incredible momentum of GHS2024 in Sydney, we look forward to bringing together the global health security community once again – this time in one of Southeast Asia’s most vibrant and dynamic cities.”

“Registration and Call for Abstracts are now live!”

Learn more, submit abstracts, and register here.

Biosecurity Simulation Exercise (BSX 2026): Laboratory Incidents & Deliberate Biothreats 

From the Asia Centre for Health Security: “This table-top simulation exercise aims to enhance inter-sectoral and inter-disciplinary preparedness for laboratory biosafety and biosecurity (LBB) and deliberate biothreat events (DBE). Through lectures, discussions, and structured, scenario-driven exercises, participants will explore decision-making to detect, risk-assess, and manage high-consequence biological incidents under conditions of incomplete information and unfolding events. Participants will collaborate in teams, building on expert perspectives to address issues in surveillance, diagnostics, public health response, security assessment, and risk communication.” 

This in-person event will be held from August 27-28. Learn more and register here. 

NEW: AIxBiosecurity Summer Fellowship 2026 

From ERA: “ERA, in partnership with the Cambridge Biosecurity Hub, is launching our first 10-week, full-time AIxBiosecurity research fellowship dedicated to tackling biosecurity risks amplified by recent advances in frontier AI capabilities. This fully funded programme equips researchers to investigate ways to reduce extreme risks from engineered and natural biological threats amid rapidly advancing biotechnology and emerging AI capabilities. After a successful 2 month pilot programme, we’re excited to continue working with some of the top talent in AI and Biosecurity.” 

Applications for the fellowship are now open, and the deadline to apply is April 27. Learn more and apply here.  

NEW: Developing a Maximum Containment Laboratory: BSL-4 Biosafety and Biosecurity Considerations – A Webinar 

From the Asia Centre for Health Security: “Maximum containment laboratories, or BSL-4 labs, provide unique capacity for work on high consequence infectious disease (HCID) pathogens. To enhance national outbreak readiness, Singapore has been strengthening laboratory capability to include a maximum containment laboratory. During this webinar, Adj A/Prof Gladys Tan will share insights from the journey to develop such a lab and discuss biosafety and biosecurity risks that need to be recognized and mitigated.” 

This virtual event will be held on May 7 from 5:30-6:30 PM Singapore Time (GMT +08:00). Learn more and register here. 

Bio-Leadership Summit (BLISS) – Submit your Nominations 

From the Hoover Institution: “Bio-Strategies & Leadership at the Hoover Institution will convene ~300 action-oriented leaders at Stanford for the inaugural Bio Leadership Summit, a one-day event designed to elevate biotechnology culturally and politically, and to speak frankly regarding what biotech leadership looks like across the most important domains of strategic impact. We are looking for leaders—up and coming or established, with or without a biotechnology background—who have a track record of turning ideas into outcomes to participate.” 

The summit will occur on April 14. Learn more and submit your nominations here. 

Council on Strategic Risks Mid-Career Biodefense Bootcamp Fellowship – Call for Applications 

From CSR: “The Council on Strategic Risks (CSR) is announcing an open call for applications for our 2026 Mid-Career Biodefense Bootcamp, a unique fellowship opportunity that we will host in the United States. 

Whether arising naturally, by accident, or through a deliberate effort to weaponize infectious diseases, biological threats pose grave risks to international security and stability. This is a highly dynamic time for biological risks, as we are witnessing an incredible pace of technological change against the backdrop of a shifting, dangerous global security landscape. Biological risks are as concerning as ever—and we are entering a new era in terms of the tools and approaches available to mitigate them. Informed by the unique experiences of its staff and years of collaboration across its expert networks, CSR’s work related to biological threats ties to a bold vision: making biological weapons the first category of weapons of mass destruction to be rendered obsolete in terms of their mass-destruction potential; and preventing any future infectious disease outbreaks from reaching pandemic scale. To achieve this goal, CSR is continuing to develop and cultivate creative solutions to address biological threats, including ways countries can effectively prepare for them.” 

Applications are due on April 24. Learn more and apply here. 

Strengthening Biosecurity & Pandemic Preparedness Through Intergenerational Dialogue – Applications Open  

From the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI): “As breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI) and biotechnology outpace global governance, the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and The Elders are launching a new intergenerational initiative to generate the ideas and leadership needed for a safer future against biological threats. 

NTI and The Elders are pleased to invite applications for a high-level Intergenerational Dialogue that will focus on emerging technologies, pandemic preparedness, prevention, and response (PPR), and global biosecurity governance. This dialogue will bring together early career professionals with senior global leaders to explore how technological innovation can strengthen health security while reducing catastrophic biological risks. 

Building on NTI’s Next Generation for Biosecurity project and The Elders’ leadership on pandemic prevention and global cooperation, this initiative will foster candid exchange across generations, elevate diverse perspectives, and generate forward-looking ideas to inform global advocacy and policy priorities.” 

The application deadline is Sunday, May 3 at 11:59 PM ET. Learn more and apply here. 

The Global Congress on Chemical Security and Emerging Threats – Call for Abstracts 

From INTERPOL: “The 6th Plenary Meeting of the Global Congress on Chemical Security & Emerging Threats will be in Panama City from 21-24 Sept 2026. The event brings together governments, industry, academia, & international orgs to strengthen chem security through collaboration & action. By providing a platform for multi-sector global cooperation and partnership, the Global Congress enables members to build relationships, exchange expertise, share important information on emerging threats and innovative best practices, and enhance capabilities.” 

The call for abstracts is now open, and the applications are due by May 15. Learn more about the conference here and apply here. 

Bio-attribution Challenge 

From DARPA: “Translate your bio-attribution research into national security impact. In an era of unprecedented biological data generation, the ability to rapidly determine the origin of a biological event — whether natural, accidental, or intentional — is a critical component of national security and public health. To meet the challenge of finding the “needle in a haystack” within this data deluge, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has launched the Bio-Attribution Challenge. 

This virtual competition calls on innovators to develop a new generation of tools capable of analyzing petabyte-scale datasets in near real-time, far exceeding the capacity of current systems. The goal is to revolutionize how we identify and trace the source of biological sequences, ensuring a faster, more effective response to potential threats. Register for virtual competition to win a share of $180,000 in Prizes.” 

The deadline to register is June 15. Learn more and register here. 

Welcome to this week’s Pandora Report! This issue highlights the growing public health risks posed by vaccine hesitancy, highlighted by the ongoing measles outbreaks and shifting federal policies that may undermine trust in scientific institutions. It also spotlights global leadership in biodefense, with a GMU PhD student selected as the U.S. Head Delegate to Y20 USA 2026.  

Thinking about Getting a Master’s in Biodefense?

The George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government will host an upcoming Master’s in Biodefense information session:  

• Friday, April 3 (12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT) 

The Return of Measles: Vaccine Hesitancy and the Erosion of U.S. Public Health  

By: Cameron Daniel Benton 

As globalization increases and societies becomes more interconnected, developing and maintaining strong public health measures is more vital than ever. However, previously eradicated diseases are reemerging in the United States due to vaccine hesitancy and shifting policies under the current presidential administration. The 2025 measles outbreak in West Texas serves as a warning sign of what may follow if the nation continues to neglect preventable diseases. The 2025 West Texas measles outbreak has spread to neighboring states, Mexico, and Canadaⁱ and represents a risk to immunocompromised individuals and, in rare cases, to vaccinated individuals through breakthrough infections. ⁱⁱ 

The Trump Administration is actively pivoting away from established, scientific-based evidence and towards dubious alternatives. This shift has damaging implications for local communities that rely on scientific guidance from medical professionals. For example, during the 2025 measles outbreak, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a known vaccine skeptic, initially downplayed the severity of the crisis, misleadingly suggested that vitamin A prevents measles, and directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to distribute additional vitamin A to the Texas Department of Health. ⁱⁱⁱ As a result, some children were hospitalized with both vitamin A toxicity and measles.^iv Although Secretary Kennedy later admitted in a Fox News op-ed that the MMR vaccine is “crucial to avoiding potentially deadly disease,”^v the conflicting messages from senior government officials contribute to ongoing vaccine hesitancy.  

Vaccine hesitancy is one of several factors for parents to forego life-saving vaccines for easily preventable diseases such as measles. A May 2023 study highlights various social factors, such as misinformation, low trust, and limited perception of personal risk and susceptibility to measles, ^vi as major drivers of the decline in MMR vaccination rates. The Atlantic interviewed Peter (no last name provided), whose daughter passed away during the 2025 outbreak, which was the first measles-related death in the United States in a decade. Peter remarked that “[measles] is not so new for us” and “everybody has it” since his grandparents and parents had it. He also said that “the vaccination has stuff that we don’t trust.” ^vii As the vaccination rates and trust in vaccines decrease, children will become more susceptible to otherwise preventable diseases.  

Meanwhile, Dr. Ralph Abraham, the CDC’s Principal Deputy Director, recently said that the uptick in measles cases is “just the cost of doing business with our borders being somewhat porous for global and international travel.” He also emphasized the “personal freedom” of communities that choose to remain unvaccinated.^viii This attitude towards measles demonstrates a shift in focus from robust, proactive public health measures to a more reactive approach. Trust in the government will likely decline as the American public perceives low prioritization of preventable disease outbreaks. Continued measles outbreaks will likely disrupt childhood education, become more common throughout the country, and become deadlier.   

The current administration is reversing policy on vaccine safety through more than just public messaging, which is reflected in the data the CDC tracks in the United States. A recent study tracked how certain CDC databases had “unexplained pauses” in their updates. As of October 28^th, 2025, 38 (46%) of these databases were paused, and of these, 33 (87%) were related to vaccine monitoring. 34 of the paused databases were not updated within 6 months of the study. These long pauses jeopardize the evidence that public health officials, scientists, government officials, and medical professionals use when evaluating information. The lack of transparency around the pauses further contributes to the decline in public trust.  

In 2025, Secretary Kennedy unilaterally fired the entire board of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)^ix and reduced the recommended childhood vaccine schedule from 17 to 11 vaccines, citing concerns that children receive “too many” vaccines.^x These actions align with the administration’s overall indifference towards vaccines and public health. In response, 28 states rejected the revised guidelines and continue to follow recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics.^xi As parents continue to forgo the MMR vaccine, we may someday see the return of mumps and rubella in the United States. Conflicting vaccine information from two respected scientific agencies will very likely deepen the public’s distrust regarding new recommendations.  

Secretary Kennedy’s restructuring and dismantling efforts of various health departments do not exist in a vacuum and align with President Trump’s transactional view of domestic and international politics. On January 22, 2026, the Trump Administration recently completed the United States’ withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO). This withdrawal happened exactly one year after President Trump signed an executive order to initiate the withdrawal process. ^xii While the long-term effects remain to be seen, the WHO has now lost major funding for various initiatives to combat and monitor various diseases.  

These new public health policies also have negative financial and economic impacts during outbreaks. When children are sick with measles, parents often need to take time off work, pull children out of school, take them to the hospital or urgent care, spend money on medicine, and their jobs lose productivity. State and federal officials also spend valuable resources managing outbreaks, establishing contact tracing, utilizing diagnostics, and initiating emergency responses. ^xiii Researchers estimate the 2019 measles outbreak in Washington state, for example, cost approximately $3.4 million for 71 measles cases, illustrating how reactive response efforts to preventable diseases generate disproportionate financial strain. ^xiv   

South Carolina’s Department of Public Health has reported 977 cases of measles in Spartanburg County as of April 3^rd 2026,^xv Utah’s Department of Health and Human Services  reported 362 cases^xvi and Virginia confirmed five cases as of April 1^st, 2026. ^xvii As of April 2^nd 2026, the CDC reported 1,671 confirmed cases of measles within 33 different jurisdictions in the United States. ^xviii The actual number of measles cases are likely underreported due to a lag in reported cases, people not going to the clinic, and the CDC’s shutdown of many centralized health databases. ^xix As measles continues to spread throughout the country, the Trump Administration can take steps to ensure the public remains healthy, children are protected, and the economy remains stable. The administration, state, and local government officials should invest in measles-related diagnostic kits, training for healthcare workers, and temporarily increase MMR vaccine production. President Trump can also sign new executive orders directing artificial intelligence (AI) companies to shift efforts toward medical research and pharmaceutical production. This will ensure Americans remain healthy, make the U.S. competitive in global markets, and stimulate the economy with positive, tangible, and healthy outcomes. Scientists and public health officials should coordinate, establish, and maintain decentralized health databases to monitor disease reports and track data trends. ^xx This will reduce dependency on the federal government and enhance accessibility.  

Further Reading:  

¹ “Top CDC Official Says Measles Surge Is the ‘Cost of Doing Business’,”  Neurology Advisor  

² “Utah Measles Outbreak Response,” Utah Department of Health and Human Services 

³ “Measles, Vitamin A, and RFK Jr.’s About-Face,” Christopher Labos, McGill Office for Science and Society  

⁴ “West Texas children treated for vitamin A toxicity as medical disinformation spreads alongside measles outbreak” University of Nebraska Medical Center  

⁵ “ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.: Measles outbreak is call to action for all of us,” Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Fox News   

⁶ “Why Parents Say No to Having Their Children Vaccinated against Measles: A Systematic Review of the Social Determinants of Parental Perceptions on MMR Vaccine Hesitancy,” Novilla et al., 2023   

⁷ “His Daughter Was America’s First Measles Death in a Decade,” Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic  

⁸ “Members of CDC vaccine panel ousted by RFK Jr. say committee has ‘lost credibility’,” Mary Kekatos, ABC News  

⁹ “HHS announces unprecedented overhaul of US childhood vaccine schedule,” Stephanie Soucheray and Liz Szabo, CIDRAP  

¹⁰ “28 states reject the CDC’s new childhood vaccine schedule, KFF finds,” Austin Littrell, Medical Economics  

¹¹ “United States Completes WHO Withdrawal,” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services  

¹² “The Economic Impact of the Ongoing Measles Outbreak,” Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health  

¹³ “Societal Costs of a Measles Outbreak,” Pike et al., 2022  

¹⁴ “2025 Measles Outbreak,” South Carolina Department of Public Health  

¹⁵ “About Measles,” Virginia Department of Health  

GMU Biodefense PhD Student Selected as U.S. Head Delegate to Y20 USA 2026 

George Mason University continues to foster global leadership and policy innovation through its research community. Carmen Shaw, a PhD student in Biodefense, has been selected as the U.S. Head Delegate to the G20 Youth Summit (Y20) in Washington DC, United States in August 2026. She will help lead youth engagement on food security and global health alongside her international peers to develop a final communiqué report that will be delivered to G20 leaders. This recognition highlights GMU’s role in preparing the next generation of leaders addressing complex global challenges.  

IN OTHER NEWS 

Public Health, Pandemic Preparedness, and Biosecurity 

• “What can biosecurity learn from cybersecurity? A lot.” Filippa Lentzos, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 
• “WHO Member States agree to extend negotiations on key annex to the Pandemic Agreement,” World Health Organization 
• “INTERCEPTOR expands global network with five new partners to boost pandemic preparedness,” Interceptor 
• “The Horrors That Could Lie Ahead if Vaccines Vanish,” Lucas Waldron and Patricia Callahan, ProPublica 

Health Systems Disruptions & Scientific Infrastructure 

• “C.D.C. Pauses Testing for Rabies and Pox Viruses,” Apoorva Mandavilli, NY Times 
• “Sources: White House to propose 20 percent cut to NIH funding,” Ariel Cohen, Roll Call 
• “Iran Faces Major Assault as Historic Medical Research Hub Severely Damaged,” Daisy Moraa, The Kenya Times 

Conflict, Military, and Biochemical Threats 

• “Italian Christmas meal tragedy turns into murder inquiry,” Laura Gozzi, BBC 
• “Army wants better, faster defenses against chemical and biological threats,” Nick Wakeman, Washington Technology 
• “Water wars: the final escalation?” Verity Bowman, The Telegraph 
• “Israel Strikes Tehran Pharmaceutical Plant, Claiming Military Link,” Parin Behrooz and Ephrat Livni, NY Times 

NEW: 2026 Preparedness Summit, “Protecting Our Communities: State and Local Preparedness in Action.” 

From the Preparedness Summit: “This event spotlights the need for increased self-reliance on state and local partnerships amid a changing federal policy and budget landscape. This conference will be the beginning of an ongoing national conversation focusing on the evolution of the public health preparedness system.” 

This virtual event will be held from April 13-16. Learn more and register here. 

Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) 2026 Pre-Conference Workshop: Communications Skills that Transform Science into Action 

From CUGH: “In today’s complex information landscape, great research needs more than publication—it requires communication. This interactive workshop, led by the CUGH Research Committee, the Pulitzer Center, and Global Health NOW, equips global health scientists, researchers, and students with practical skills to amplify their work and translate evidence into impact. Panel discussions among leading journalists, communicators, and academics will deepen participants’ understanding of current communication challenges. Workshops will teach attendees how to craft clear, compelling messages targeting policymakers, practitioners, and the public via op-eds, media interviews, social media, podcasts, newsletters, etc. Hands-on exercises, immediate feedback, and real-world examples will boost attendees’ ability to influence global health dialogue, policy, and action. Transform your research into a story that matters.” 

This event will be held on April 9 from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM ET. Learn more and register here.  

Game Changers: Cures for 21^st Century Biological Threats 

From the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense at the Atlantic Council: “The Commission will host its latest meeting, focused on assessing strategies for strengthening biodefense science and technology. They will conceptualize the successes of and challenges facing biodefense technology innovators in an ever-changing threat environment.  

Biotechnology has accelerated at a rapid pace, driven in part by federal investment and policy. Advances in biological sciences create new opportunities for addressing biological events, and the public and private sectors at all levels have a role to play in bolstering these efforts. This meeting of the Commission will discuss the biological threat to food and agriculture, and the international perspective on the threat. The discussions will also touch upon the state of biotechnology innovation and federal regulation, research and development activities.” 

This event will be hybrid (in-person and online) and will be held on Friday, April 10, at 9:00 AM ET. Learn more and register here.  

CBRNe Convergence Canada 2026

CBRNe World is hosting its fourth CBRNe Convergence Canada event this year in Toronto! This event will focus on a range of topical issues, including responding to potential CBRN incidents in the High North, response to terrorist attacks at major sporting events, and presentations on Canadian response capabilities, and the largest CBRN/Hazmat exhibition in Canada.

This event will take place April 13-15 at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel, Toronto Downtown. Learn more here, and stay tuned for forthcoming information about CBRNe Convergence this November in Knoxville, TN!

International Conference CBRNe Research & Innovation  

From CBRNE: “The last 40 years have demonstrated that both military and civilian populations could be exposed to highly hazardous CBRNE agents following conflicts, natural outbreaks and disasters, industrial incidents or terrorist attacks. Worldwide, researchers, responders and industrial capacities have been commited to provide adapted response to these challenges. The CBRNE Research & Innovation Conference includes workshops and demonstrations of innovative materials, technologies and procedures, according to the following themes: Detection (identification), Protection (decontamination, medical countermeasures), and risk & crisis management.  

This event will take place in Arcachon, France, from May 19 – 21, 2026. Learn more and RSVP here. 

GHS 2026

From GHS: “We’re excited to officially announce that the 4th Global Health Security Conference (GHS2026) will be held in Kuala Lumpur on the 9 – 12 June, 2026!”

“Building on the incredible momentum of GHS2024 in Sydney, we look forward to bringing together the global health security community once again – this time in one of Southeast Asia’s most vibrant and dynamic cities.”

“Registration and Call for Abstracts are now live!”

Learn more, submit abstracts, and register here.

Biosecurity Simulation Exercise (BSX 2026): Laboratory Incidents & Deliberate Biothreats 

From the Asia Centre for Health Security: “This table-top simulation exercise aims to enhance inter-sectoral and inter-disciplinary preparedness for laboratory biosafety and biosecurity (LBB) and deliberate biothreat events (DBE). Through lectures, discussions, and structured, scenario-driven exercises, participants will explore decision-making to detect, risk-assess, and manage high-consequence biological incidents under conditions of incomplete information and unfolding events. Participants will collaborate in teams, building on expert perspectives to address issues in surveillance, diagnostics, public health response, security assessment, and risk communication.” 

This in-person event will be held from August 27-28. Learn more and register here. 

NEW: The Global Congress on Chemical Security and Emerging Threats – Call for Abstracts 

From INTERPOL: “The 6th Plenary Meeting of the Global Congress on Chemical Security & Emerging Threats will be in Panama City from 21-24 Sept 2026. The event brings together governments, industry, academia, & international orgs to strengthen chem security through collaboration & action. By providing a platform for multi-sector global cooperation and partnership, the Global Congress enables members to build relationships, exchange expertise, share important information on emerging threats and innovative best practices, and enhance capabilities.” 

The call for abstracts is now open, and the applications are due by May 15. Learn more about the conference here and apply here. 

Bio-Leadership Summit (BLISS) – Submit your Nominations 

From the Hoover Institution: “Bio-Strategies & Leadership at the Hoover Institution will convene ~300 action-oriented leaders at Stanford for the inaugural Bio Leadership Summit, a one-day event designed to elevate biotechnology culturally and politically, and to speak frankly regarding what biotech leadership looks like across the most important domains of strategic impact. We are looking for leaders—up and coming or established, with or without a biotechnology background—who have a track record of turning ideas into outcomes to participate.” 

The summit will occur on April 14. Learn more and submit your nominations here. 

Council on Strategic Risks Mid-Career Biodefense Bootcamp Fellowship – Call for Applications 

From CSR: “The Council on Strategic Risks (CSR) is announcing an open call for applications for our 2026 Mid-Career Biodefense Bootcamp, a unique fellowship opportunity that we will host in the United States. 

Whether arising naturally, by accident, or through a deliberate effort to weaponize infectious diseases, biological threats pose grave risks to international security and stability. This is a highly dynamic time for biological risks, as we are witnessing an incredible pace of technological change against the backdrop of a shifting, dangerous global security landscape. Biological risks are as concerning as ever—and we are entering a new era in terms of the tools and approaches available to mitigate them. Informed by the unique experiences of its staff and years of collaboration across its expert networks, CSR’s work related to biological threats ties to a bold vision: making biological weapons the first category of weapons of mass destruction to be rendered obsolete in terms of their mass-destruction potential; and preventing any future infectious disease outbreaks from reaching pandemic scale. To achieve this goal, CSR is continuing to develop and cultivate creative solutions to address biological threats, including ways countries can effectively prepare for them.” 

Applications are due on April 24. Learn more and apply here. 

Strengthening Biosecurity & Pandemic Preparedness Through Intergenerational Dialogue – Applications Open  

From the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI): “As breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI) and biotechnology outpace global governance, the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and The Elders are launching a new intergenerational initiative to generate the ideas and leadership needed for a safer future against biological threats. 

NTI and The Elders are pleased to invite applications for a high-level Intergenerational Dialogue that will focus on emerging technologies, pandemic preparedness, prevention, and response (PPR), and global biosecurity governance. This dialogue will bring together early career professionals with senior global leaders to explore how technological innovation can strengthen health security while reducing catastrophic biological risks. 

Building on NTI’s Next Generation for Biosecurity project and The Elders’ leadership on pandemic prevention and global cooperation, this initiative will foster candid exchange across generations, elevate diverse perspectives, and generate forward-looking ideas to inform global advocacy and policy priorities.” 

The application deadline is Sunday, May 3 at 11:59 PM ET. Learn more and apply here. 

Bio-attribution Challenge 

From DARPA: “Translate your bio-attribution research into national security impact. In an era of unprecedented biological data generation, the ability to rapidly determine the origin of a biological event — whether natural, accidental, or intentional — is a critical component of national security and public health. To meet the challenge of finding the “needle in a haystack” within this data deluge, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has launched the Bio-Attribution Challenge. 

This virtual competition calls on innovators to develop a new generation of tools capable of analyzing petabyte-scale datasets in near real-time, far exceeding the capacity of current systems. The goal is to revolutionize how we identify and trace the source of biological sequences, ensuring a faster, more effective response to potential threats. Register for virtual competition to win a share of $180,000 in Prizes.” 

The deadline to register is June 15. Learn more and register here. 

Welcome to this week’s Pandora Report! This issue highlights emerging research and policy developments in biodefense, including governance challenges posed by rapidly evolving technologies like AI, and new insights into global terrorism dynamics linked to geopolitical conflict. We also spotlight achievements from the George Mason University community and share opportunities for those interested in advancing their careers in biodefense.  

Thinking about Getting a Master’s in Biodefense?

The George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government will host an upcoming Master’s in Biodefense information session:  

• Friday, April 3 (12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT) 

GMU Researchers Recognized for Innovation 

George Mason University (GMU), a university that has been recognized consistently for its innovation and entrepreneurship, has been named to the top 100 U.S. universities for patents. This spring, the National Academy of Inventors ranked George Mason No. 92 on its list for patents granted during 2025.  In 2025, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued 14 utility patents to George Mason inventors for methods to improve virtual reality (VR) navigation, traffic congestion, and wound healing.  George Mason researchers Monique L. van Hoek and Barney M. Bishop of the College of Science were awarded a patent for their work with antimicrobial peptides inspired by the Komodo dragon’s natural defenses. The duo has been collaborating since 2009 to study the peptides and their activity against important bacterial pathogens. These synthetic peptides represent a breakthrough in the fight against drug-resistant infections.  

Preventing Biological Weapons Proliferation: Operational Applications of Emerging Technologies 

In a new publication, George Mason University Biodefense alumni, Dr. Miranda Smith, along with Kolja Brockmann and Mark Bromley, review how advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and distributed ledger technology (DLT) are reshaping key regime functions, including how biological research and development, data and materials are managed. Although technologies such as AI and DLT pose potential risks in the life sciences, they also provide benefits such as the ability to support effective laboratory oversight, strengthen export controls, and facilitate national transparency mechanisms. Their overall impact will depend largely on states governance of these technologies, including how they manage data integrity, oversight, interoperability, and equitable access.  

Further Reading:  

• “Biotechnology in the Era of Omni-Use: Technologies Without Borders and the Governance Challenges They Present,” Kiwako Tanaka, Sasakawa Peace Foundation 
• “Measures to strengthen international biosafety and biosecurity practices,” Decroly et al., PLOS Biology 
• “Beyond Sequence Similarity: Toward Function-Based Screening of Nucleic Acid Synthesis,” Abel et al., SSRN  
• “Developing a Standard Definition for Sequences of Concern,” Alexanian et al., BioRxiv 

Schar School Professor Named Chair of Counterterrorism Editorial Board at Homeland Security Magazine  

Homeland Security Today, a premier nonprofit news outlet, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Mahmut Cengiz, a current Associate Professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, as Chair of the Counterterrorism Editorial Board! Dr. Cengiz, along with the others on the Editorial Board, will contribute expert analysis, original research, and strategic insight to inform policymakers across the field of homeland security and help bridge the gap between policy and practice.  

Global Terrorism Spillover of the U.S.-Israel-Iran Conflict 

Dr. Mahmut Cengiz, along with Sean Dilallo, a graduate student in GMU’s International Security program, recently published a paper examining how sustained U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran may have led to a spillover effect, increasing terrorist incidents in other Western countries. Reported attacks have targeted synagogues, Jewish institutions such as schools, and U.S. diplomatic facilities – primarily in Europe and Canada. These incidents often appear coordinated and may be linked to proxy networks, though they have not consistently aimed to cause mass casualties. In the United States, the pattern differs, with incidents reflecting more decentralized, lone-actor terrorism. These individuals appear to be inspired by a mix of pro-Iranian sentiment and ISIS-inspired radicalization. Overall, the authors argue that the return of U.S. combat operations in the Middle East underscores a complex and evolving threat environment, coinciding with a rise of inspired attacks across North America and Europe. The paper concludes by emphasizing the importance of community involvement in counterterrorism efforts. Early detection of potential threats often depends on public awareness and reporting, particularly given the limits of law enforcement resources and authority. Building and maintaining trust between security agencies and local communities will be essential moving forward.  

Further Reading: 

• “I Spent Two Decades Securing Nuclear Materials. Here’s What It Would Take to Get Iran’s.” Andrew Weber, NY Times 
• “The Threat No One is Talking About in Iran,” Cassidy Nelson, RUSI 
• “Does Iran have a non-conventional strategic weapon option beyond nukes?” Dan Kaszeta, Warsight 

IN OTHER NEWS 

Biodefense, Threat Reduction, and Security 

• “PPE for Biotoxin Response,” EMBRACE Biotoxin Task Force 
• “Strengthening Biological Threat Reduction Capabilities Across Africa Fellowship Announcement,” Brown University School of Public Health  
• “Edward You Protected America From Bioterror,” Edward You, Lisa Margonelli, Issues 
• “Did the British unleash biological warfare against Washington’s troops?” Sy Boles, The Harvard Gazette 

Public Health Systems and U.S. Policy 

• “Demoralized CDC Workforce Reels From Year of Firings, Funding Cuts, and a Shooting,” Jess Mador, KFF Health News  
• “Trump delays nominating new CDC director,” Erika Edwards, NBC News 
• “Seven months later, the government still hasn’t fixed CDC’s shot-up windows,” Mike Stobbe, AP News 
• “The United States is driving a public health emergency of international concern,” Matthew Herder, Roojin Habibi, Fatima Hassan, and Andrew Hill, BMJ  
• “Trump to Delay Nominating New C.D.C. Director,” Apoorva Mandavilli and Sheryl Gay Stolberg, NY Times 

Outbreaks, Surveillance and Bioincidents  

• “Russian authorities are culling livestock over a mysterious disease. Farmers are protesting, saying their animals don’t look sick.” Alexander Kryazhev, Meduza 
• “She uncovered a terrifying lab hidden in California, with alleged ties to China,” Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times 
• “£1 billion invested in health protection as new Pandemic Strategy published,” Cabinet Office, Department of Health and Social Care, UK Health Security Agency, Sharon Hodgson MP, Dan Jarvis MBE MP, and The Rt Hon Darren Jones MP, GOV.UK 

NEW: The AI Debates – Did an LLM Write This?  

From the Council on Strategic Risks: “The Converging Risks Lab presents the AI Debates. Does the cognitive offloading that results from using AI tools, specifically Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini, degrade critical thinking skills? And if it does, what are the consequences for the national security workforce, on whose clarity of thinking the United States specifically depends? 

This debate series aims to wrestle with that essential question made more urgent as agencies and departments, notably the Department of Defense and the Department of State, accelerate the diffusion of AI tools throughout their workforces. Over the introductory panel and three debates, this series will identify AI risks for three specific subsets of the national security workforce: active-duty servicemembers, intelligence analysts, and defense contractors.” 

The introductory panel will be held virtually on April 1 at 12:00 PM EDT. Learn more and register here.  

NEW: Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) 2026 Pre-Conference Workshop: Communications Skills that Transform Science into Action 

From CUGH: “In today’s complex information landscape, great research needs more than publication—it requires communication. This interactive workshop, led by the CUGH Research Committee, the Pulitzer Center, and Global Health NOW, equips global health scientists, researchers, and students with practical skills to amplify their work and translate evidence into impact. Panel discussions among leading journalists, communicators, and academics will deepen participants’ understanding of current communication challenges. Workshops will teach attendees how to craft clear, compelling messages targeting policymakers, practitioners, and the public via op-eds, media interviews, social media, podcasts, newsletters, etc. Hands-on exercises, immediate feedback, and real-world examples will boost attendees’ ability to influence global health dialogue, policy, and action. Transform your research into a story that matters.” 

This event will be held on April 9 from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM ET. Learn more and register here.  

NEW: Biosecurity Simulation Exercise (BSX 2026): Laboratory Incidents & Deliberate Biothreats 

From the Asia Centre for Health Security: “This table-top simulation exercise aims to enhance inter-sectoral and inter-disciplinary preparedness for laboratory biosafety and biosecurity (LBB) and deliberate biothreat events (DBE). Through lectures, discussions, and structured, scenario-driven exercises, participants will explore decision-making to detect, risk-assess, and manage high-consequence biological incidents under conditions of incomplete information and unfolding events. Participants will collaborate in teams, building on expert perspectives to address issues in surveillance, diagnostics, public health response, security assessment, and risk communication.” 

This in-person event will be held from August 27-28. Learn more and register here. 

Game Changers: Cures for 21^st Century Biological Threats 

From the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense at the Atlantic Council: “The Commission will host its latest meeting, focused on assessing strategies for strengthening biodefense science and technology. They will conceptualize the successes of and challenges facing biodefense technology innovators in an ever-changing threat environment.  

Biotechnology has accelerated at a rapid pace, driven in part by federal investment and policy. Advances in biological sciences create new opportunities for addressing biological events, and the public and private sectors at all levels have a role to play in bolstering these efforts. This meeting of the Commission will discuss the biological threat to food and agriculture, and the international perspective on the threat. The discussions will also touch upon the state of biotechnology innovation and federal regulation, research and development activities.” 

This event will be hybrid (in-person and online) and will be held on Friday, April 10, at 9:00 AM ET. Learn more and register here.  

CBRNe Convergence Canada 2026

CBRNe World is hosting its fourth CBRNe Convergence Canada event this year in Toronto! This event will focus on a range of topical issues, including responding to potential CBRN incidents in the High North, response to terrorist attacks at major sporting events, and presentations on Canadian response capabilities, and the largest CBRN/Hazmat exhibition in Canada.

This event will take place April 13-15 at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel, Toronto Downtown. Learn more here, and stay tuned for forthcoming information about CBRNe Convergence this November in Knoxville, TN!

International Conference CBRNe Research & Innovation  

From CBRNE: “The last 40 years have demonstrated that both military and civilian populations could be exposed to highly hazardous CBRNE agents following conflicts, natural outbreaks and disasters, industrial incidents or terrorist attacks. Worldwide, researchers, responders and industrial capacities have been commited to provide adapted response to these challenges. The CBRNE Research & Innovation Conference includes workshops and demonstrations of innovative materials, technologies and procedures, according to the following themes: Detection (identification), Protection (decontamination, medical countermeasures), and risk & crisis management.  

This event will take place in Arcachon, France, from May 19 – 21, 2026. Learn more and RSVP here. 

GHS 2026

From GHS: “We’re excited to officially announce that the 4th Global Health Security Conference (GHS2026) will be held in Kuala Lumpur on the 9 – 12 June, 2026!”

“Building on the incredible momentum of GHS2024 in Sydney, we look forward to bringing together the global health security community once again – this time in one of Southeast Asia’s most vibrant and dynamic cities.”

“Registration and Call for Abstracts are now live!”

Learn more, submit abstracts, and register here.

ICGEB Fellowships for Scientists in Biosecurity  

From the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology: “With the co-funding of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation through the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), BWC ISU, the ICGEB offers early-career scientists from OECD/DAC countries a fellowship at ICGEB laboratories in Italy, India, South Africa and at the ICGEB Regional Research Centre in China, to receive hands on training in life sciences and detection and response to biological threats.” 

The closing date for applications is March 31, 23:59 CET. Learn more and apply here. 

Bio-Leadership Summit (BLISS) – Submit your Nominations 

From the Hoover Institution: “Bio-Strategies & Leadership at the Hoover Institution will convene ~300 action-oriented leaders at Stanford for the inaugural Bio Leadership Summit, a one-day event designed to elevate biotechnology culturally and politically, and to speak frankly regarding what biotech leadership looks like across the most important domains of strategic impact. We are looking for leaders—up and coming or established, with or without a biotechnology background—who have a track record of turning ideas into outcomes to participate.” 

The summit will occur on April 14. Learn more and submit your nominations here. 

Council on Strategic Risks Mid-Career Biodefense Bootcamp Fellowship – Call for Applications 

From CSR: “The Council on Strategic Risks (CSR) is announcing an open call for applications for our 2026 Mid-Career Biodefense Bootcamp, a unique fellowship opportunity that we will host in the United States. 

Whether arising naturally, by accident, or through a deliberate effort to weaponize infectious diseases, biological threats pose grave risks to international security and stability. This is a highly dynamic time for biological risks, as we are witnessing an incredible pace of technological change against the backdrop of a shifting, dangerous global security landscape. Biological risks are as concerning as ever—and we are entering a new era in terms of the tools and approaches available to mitigate them. Informed by the unique experiences of its staff and years of collaboration across its expert networks, CSR’s work related to biological threats ties to a bold vision: making biological weapons the first category of weapons of mass destruction to be rendered obsolete in terms of their mass-destruction potential; and preventing any future infectious disease outbreaks from reaching pandemic scale. To achieve this goal, CSR is continuing to develop and cultivate creative solutions to address biological threats, including ways countries can effectively prepare for them.” 

Applications are due on April 24. Learn more and apply here. 

Bio-attribution Challenge 

From DARPA: “Translate your bio-attribution research into national security impact. In an era of unprecedented biological data generation, the ability to rapidly determine the origin of a biological event — whether natural, accidental, or intentional — is a critical component of national security and public health. To meet the challenge of finding the “needle in a haystack” within this data deluge, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has launched the Bio-Attribution Challenge. 

This virtual competition calls on innovators to develop a new generation of tools capable of analyzing petabyte-scale datasets in near real-time, far exceeding the capacity of current systems. The goal is to revolutionize how we identify and trace the source of biological sequences, ensuring a faster, more effective response to potential threats. Register for virtual competition to win a share of $180,000 in Prizes.” 

The deadline to register is June 15. Learn more and register here. 

Welcome to this week’s Pandora Report! This issue highlights developments in biosecurity, emerging infectious diseases, and global health policy, including advances in chemical weapons destruction efforts, the spread of H5N1 among marine mammals, and new research and governance challenges at the intersection of AI and biotechnology.  

Thinking about Getting a Master’s in Biodefense?

The George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government will host an upcoming Master’s in Biodefense information session:  

• Friday, April 3 (12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT) 

Georgetown to Host Upcoming Biohazardous Threat Agents & Emerging Infectious Disease Simulation in the DMV Area 

Georgetown University’s Biohazardous Threat Agents & Emerging Infectious Diseases (BHTA) program will be hosting a full-day science event called “Operation Outbreak: A Live Epidemic Simulation in the DC Metro Area,” on Friday, March 27 from 9 AM to 5 PM EDT, which will include an outbreak simulation, as part of a research study investigating societal resilience in regional outbreak response. The simulation requires 250 students and faculty from the DMV area to take on realistic societal roleplays in sectors including government, public health, healthcare, biomedical research, finance, commerce, media and the general population – to make time-sensitive decisions in outbreak scenarios. Sign up as a participant or as a virtual attendee.  

Destruction of Assad-Era Chemical Weapons in Syria Advances 

On March 18, 2026, Syria and its partners announced the launch of a new initiative, the Breadth of Freedom Task Force, to coordinate support for Syrian efforts to locate, secure, and safely and verifiably destroy chemical weapons left over from the Assad era. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has identified 100 sites that need to be inspected given potential links to the former chemical weapons program. As Biodefense Program director Dr. Gregory Koblentz has written, “Chemical weapons that have not been fully and properly accounted for in Syria include 300 metric tons of the blister agent sulfur mustard, tens of tons of precursors for nerve agents such as sarin, and hundreds to thousands of chemical munitions that could be used to deliver these agents.”  Syria faces a number of challenges in addressing these issues and bringing the country into compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) including “the secrecy of Assad’s defunct chemical program, the lack of institutional memory, weak national capacities, and the dangers posed by landmines and remnants of war.” The new Task Force, composed of Canada, France, Germany, Qatar, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Syria will solicit and provide contributions to build Syria’s national capacity, in coordination with the OPCW, by delivering training, equipment, and support for chemical weapon verification and destruction operations. The Task Force met in Ankara in February to assess the operational, technical and institutional gaps in Syria’s capacity to implement these operations and structure the support packages to be provided to Syria. For example, Turkiye “has been carrying out humanitarian demining activities in various parts of Syria, contributing to the disposal of unexploded ordnance as well as providing active political, technical and logistical support within the framework of the task force and OPCW-led international efforts.” 

H5N1 Outbreak in Mammals at Año Nuevo State Park Continues 

By Margeaux Malone, Pandora Report Associate Editor 

An ongoing outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 at Año Nuevo State Park in San Mateo County, California has now claimed the lives of at least 18 animals, including 16 northern elephant seals, one southern sea otter, and one sea lion, according to officials. 

The outbreak, which marks the first confirmed detection of H5N1 in marine mammals in California and the first detection in northern elephant seals, was first identified in late February when researchers observed seals displaying abnormal respiratory and neurological symptoms, including tremors and weakness. Since then, scientists from University of California, Davis (UC Davis), UC Santa Cruz, National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries), and several partner organizations have been conducting ongoing field surveillance and laboratory testing. Christine Johnson, the director of the Institute for Pandemic Insights at UC Davis, cautioned that the confirmed death toll likely undercounts the true impact. “There are likely more animals that we will be updating on in the coming weeks,” she said. 

Despite the ongoing concern, experts say there are encouraging signs. Patrick Robinson, Año Nuevo Reserve Director at UC Santa Cruz, noted that thousands of apparently healthy animals remain on the beach, and new cases are appearing at a relatively stable and low rate, averaging roughly two newly dead and two newly symptomatic animals per day. Every year thousands of elephant seals migrate to Año Nuevo to birth and raise their pups before breeding again. Fortunately, almost 80% of the adult female seal population had already migrated away from the park before the outbreak began, which likely reduced the impact of the outbreak. In 2023, Argentina reported catastrophic mortality in southern elephant seals following a confirmed outbreak of HPAI, as well as deaths of thousands of sea lions and other seal species along the Argentine Patagonia coastline.  

Public access to seal-viewing areas at the state park remains closed, and guided elephant seal tours have been canceled for the remainder of the season. Health officials are urging visitors to avoid all contact with sick or dead marine mammals and birds, and to keep pets leashed while on the beach. “The risk to the general public remains very low, and there is no evidence of seal-to-human transmission,” said Dr. Catherine Sallenave of San Mateo County. Weekly updates are being provided by the UC Davis Institute for Pandemic Insights as monitoring continues. 

Further Reading:  

• “Emergence of a novel reassorted high pathogenicity avian influenza A(H5N2) virus associated with severe pneumonia in a young adult,” Joel Armando Vázquez-Pérez, et al. Scientific Reports 
• “Georgia declared free of bird flu, but officials warn farmers to remain vigilant,” Dan Raby, CBS News 
• “H5N1 avian influenza: Cambodia reports 2nd human case of 2026,” Robert Herriman, Outbreak News Today 

In Other News

AI, Emerging Tech, and Biosecurity Risks 

• “A Labour of Harm: Artificial Intelligence and Biological Weapons Acquisition,” Alexander Ghionis, Nancy Connell, Tom Hobson, Richard Armitage, and Lalitha Sundaram, SSRN 
• “AI companies are hiring chemical weapons experts for safety — while embedded in military systems,” Lachlan Brown, Silicon Canals 
• “AI-designed experiments run by robots hint at a new approach to biology,” Deni Ellis Bechard, Edited by Eric Sullivan, Scientific American 
• “Brief of the Scientific Advisory Board on: Mirror Life,” United Nations 

Chemical and Biological Weapons, Deterrence and Strategic Threats  

• “Commemoration of the 1988 Halabja Chemical Weapons Attack,” OPCW 
• “A Framework for Biological Weapons Deterrence,” INSS CSWMD 
• “Biodeterrence in an Era of Convergent Threats,” James Giordano, INSS 
• “The Rising Threat of Bioterrorism: Challenges and Responses for Law Enforcement and First Responders,” Martin Kurzhals, João Simões, and Jasmin Kluge, Police Chief Magazine 
• “The PRC Bioweapons Threat: How the PRC Doctrine and Civil-Military Fusion Create Anthrax Bioweapons Risk & How Policymakers Must Pivot to Fix America’s Anthrax Vulnerabilities,” American Biodefense Action Coalition 

Biosecurity Governance and Regulatory Gaps 

• “Forging a New Paradigm for Biosecurity Governance,” Featuring Sam Weiss Evans, Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes at Arizona State University 
• “Two Illegal Biolabs Reveal Gaps in U.S. Biosecurity,” Sam Howell, Lawfare 
• “We study pandemics, and the resurgence of measles is a grim sign of what’s coming,” The Conversation 

U.S. Health Policy and Institutional Politics 

• “Federal judge stalls health secretary RFK Jr.’s overhaul of vaccine policy,” Anil Oza, Chelsea Cirruzzo, and Daniel Payne, StatNews 
• “White House lifts hold on NIH research spending,” Jocelyn Kaiser, Science 
• “NIH chief calms nerves on grants, hiring,” Megan R. Wilson, WP 
• “2026 Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community,” Office of the Director of National Intelligence 
• “U.S. Considers Withholding H.I.V. Aid Unless Zambia Expands Minerals Access,” Stephanie Nolen 

NEW: The New Bio Frontier: Creating an Ecosystem for a Healthy and Secure Future 

From the Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET): “From CRISPR innovations fueling medical advances to biomanufacturing critical materials to AI-enabled tools unlocking new discoveries at the forefront of health science, biotechnology sits at the center for the next generation of U.S. innovation. Building robust innovation hubs and supporting the field’s foundational infrastructure will fuel U.S. global competitiveness and security.  

Join us for a fireside chat with IQT’s Vice President of Technology, Dr. Jessica Dymond, to discuss the current state of emerging biotechnology, the promises it holds, and the steps that policymakers, investors, and practitioners can take to build a robust biotechnology sector.” 

This event will be held in-person at Georgetown University’s Capital Campus, 500 First Street NW, Room 900, on Wednesday, March 25, 3:00 – 4:00 PM ET. Learn more and register here.

NEW: Game Changers: Cures for 21^st Century Biological Threats 

From the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense at the Atlantic Council: “The Commission will host its latest meeting, focused on assessing strategies for strengthening biodefense science and technology. They will conceptualize the successes of and challenges facing biodefense technology innovators in an ever-changing threat environment.  

Biotechnology has accelerated at a rapid pace, driven in part by federal investment and policy. Advances in biological sciences create new opportunities for addressing biological events, and the public and private sectors at all levels have a role to play in bolstering these efforts. This meeting of the Commission will discuss the biological threat to food and agriculture, and the international perspective on the threat. The discussions will also touch upon the state of biotechnology innovation and federal regulation, research and development activities.” 

This event will be hybrid (in-person and online) and will be held on Friday, April 10, at 9:00 AM ET. Learn more and register here.  

Prioritizing Biological Risks: The Case for AMR  

From Effective Altruism Austria: “Biological threats represent some of the most pressing global risks of our time, yet they remain significantly under-prioritized compared to their potential impact. In this talk, participants will learn 1) What biosecurity encompasses and why it should be a priority within the EA community; 2) How antimicrobial resistance (AMR) fits into the broader biosecurity landscape and why it deserves special attention; and 3) Why AMR represents a “silent pandemic” with massive intervention opportunities when analyzed through EA frameworks of importance, neglectedness, and tractability, plus how it connects with other cause areas like global health and development.” 

This event will be held virtually on Tuesday, March 24, 1:30 – 3:00 PM ET. Learn more and register here.  

CBRNe Convergence Canada 2026

CBRNe World is hosting its fourth CBRNe Convergence Canada event this year in Toronto! This event will focus on a range of topical issues, including responding to potential CBRN incidents in the High North, response to terrorist attacks at major sporting events, and presentations on Canadian response capabilities, and the largest CBRN/Hazmat exhibition in Canada.

This event will take place April 13-15 at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel, Toronto Downtown. Learn more here, and stay tuned for forthcoming information about CBRNe Convergence this November in Knoxville, TN!

International Conference CBRNe Research & Innovation  

From CBRNE: “The last 40 years have demonstrated that both military and civilian populations could be exposed to highly hazardous CBRNE agents following conflicts, natural outbreaks and disasters, industrial incidents or terrorist attacks. Worldwide, researchers, responders and industrial capacities have been commited to provide adapted response to these challenges. The CBRNE Research & Innovation Conference includes workshops and demonstrations of innovative materials, technologies and procedures, according to the following themes: Detection (identification), Protection (decontamination, medical countermeasures), and risk & crisis management.  

This event will take place in Arcachon, France, from May 19 – 21, 2026. Learn more and RSVP here. 

GHS 2026

From GHS: “We’re excited to officially announce that the 4th Global Health Security Conference (GHS2026) will be held in Kuala Lumpur on the 9 – 12 June, 2026!”

“Building on the incredible momentum of GHS2024 in Sydney, we look forward to bringing together the global health security community once again – this time in one of Southeast Asia’s most vibrant and dynamic cities.”

“Registration and Call for Abstracts are now live!”

Learn more, submit abstracts, and register here.

NEW: Bio-Leadership Summit (BLISS) – Submit your Nominations 

From the Hoover Institution: “Bio-Strategies & Leadership at the Hoover Institution will convene ~300 action-oriented leaders at Stanford for the inaugural Bio Leadership Summit, a one-day event designed to elevate biotechnology culturally and politically, and to speak frankly regarding what biotech leadership looks like across the most important domains of strategic impact. We are looking for leaders—up and coming or established, with or without a biotechnology background—who have a track record of turning ideas into outcomes to participate.” 

The summit will occur on April 14. Learn more and submit your nominations here. 

NEW: Council on Strategic Risks Mid-Career Biodefense Bootcamp Fellowship – Call for Applications 

From CSR: “The Council on Strategic Risks (CSR) is announcing an open call for applications for our 2026 Mid-Career Biodefense Bootcamp, a unique fellowship opportunity that we will host in the United States. 

Whether arising naturally, by accident, or through a deliberate effort to weaponize infectious diseases, biological threats pose grave risks to international security and stability. This is a highly dynamic time for biological risks, as we are witnessing an incredible pace of technological change against the backdrop of a shifting, dangerous global security landscape. Biological risks are as concerning as ever—and we are entering a new era in terms of the tools and approaches available to mitigate them. Informed by the unique experiences of its staff and years of collaboration across its expert networks, CSR’s work related to biological threats ties to a bold vision: making biological weapons the first category of weapons of mass destruction to be rendered obsolete in terms of their mass-destruction potential; and preventing any future infectious disease outbreaks from reaching pandemic scale. To achieve this goal, CSR is continuing to develop and cultivate creative solutions to address biological threats, including ways countries can effectively prepare for them.” 

Applications are due on April 24. Learn more and apply here. 

NEW: Bio-attribution Challenge 

From DARPA: “Translate your bio-attribution research into national security impact. In an era of unprecedented biological data generation, the ability to rapidly determine the origin of a biological event — whether natural, accidental, or intentional — is a critical component of national security and public health. To meet the challenge of finding the “needle in a haystack” within this data deluge, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has launched the Bio-Attribution Challenge. 

This virtual competition calls on innovators to develop a new generation of tools capable of analyzing petabyte-scale datasets in near real-time, far exceeding the capacity of current systems. The goal is to revolutionize how we identify and trace the source of biological sequences, ensuring a faster, more effective response to potential threats. Register for virtual competition to win a share of $180,000 in Prizes.” 

The deadline to register is June 15. Learn more and register here. 

Bio-Responsibility Future Leaders Programme from the Indian Institute of Science 

From the Centre for Society and Policy: “The Bio-responsibility Future Leaders Programme (BFLP) is a year-long, part-time training programme focused on building the future leaders to promote safe, secure and responsible research and innovation in life sciences in India. The programme is run by the Centre for Society and Policy, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. The programme will strive to create national capacity at the intersection of life sciences, security, and policy by training and supporting emerging leaders through interactive workshops, seminars, and high-level policy roundtable discussions.” 

The application to apply is March 22. Learn more and submit your application here. 

ICGEB Fellowships for Scientists in Biosecurity  

From the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology: “With the co-funding of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation through the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), BWC ISU, the ICGEB offers early-career scientists from OECD/DAC countries a fellowship at ICGEB laboratories in Italy, India, South Africa and at the ICGEB Regional Research Centre in China, to receive hands on training in life sciences and detection and response to biological threats.” 

The closing date for applications is March 31, 23:59 CET. Learn more and apply here. 

9th World One Health Congress – Calls for Abstracts 

From Global One Health Community: “The One Health Congress invites abstracts, session concept notes, and workshop proposals addressing innovative research, policy, and practice across human-animal-plant-environment interfaces. Submissions are welcomed under the following themes: 1) Climate change, environment, and ecosystems health; 2) Biodiversity, wildlife, and pathogen interfaces; 3) Food systems, agriculture, and plant health; 4) Pathogens, microbiome, and intervention strategies; 5) Antimicrobial resistance (AMR); 6) Data, technology and innovative analytics; 7) Knowledge, education and communities; 8) Governance, policy and legal frameworks, 9) One Health implementation and financing; 10) Preparedness, resilience and economic evaluation; 11) Biosecurity, biosafety and global health security; 12) The critical role of the private sector in One Health policy.  

Learn more and submit here.  

Welcome to this week’s Pandora Report! This issue highlights emerging concerns about biological toxins, the continued spread of H5N1 across the Americas, new research and vaccine efforts to combat avian influenza, and upcoming opportunities in biodefense and global health security. 

Thinking about Getting a Master’s in Biodefense?

The George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government will host upcoming Master’s in Biodefense information sessions:  

• Friday, March 13 (12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT)  
• Friday, April 3 (12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT) 

Sound the Tocsin: A Summary of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense’s “Pick Your Poison: The Enduring Threat of Biological Toxins” at the Atlantic Council  

By Alex Kyabarongo and Lena Kroepke, MS Biodefense  

Alex Kyabarongo is a second-year MS Biodefense student from Uganda with special interests in global health security policy and biothreat reduction programs. 

Lena Kroepke is a recent MS Biodefense program graduate from Germany with a background in peace and conflict research.  

On Thursday, February 26, the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense at the Atlantic Council hosted the event “Pick Your Poison: The Enduring Threat of Biological Toxins,” mapping the threat of biological toxins and their implications for future biological attacks. Recent accusations by several European countries that the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was caused by a toxin derived from poison dart frogs, paired with rapid advancements in the science and technology (S&T) sector, highlight the threat that biological toxins can pose in the hands of malicious actors. Over the course of three panels, subject matter experts discussed the evolving challenges surrounding the spectrum, use, availability, detection, and attribution of dangerous toxins.  

The meeting was opened by former U.S. Senator Tom Daschle, who provided a brief overview of the dangers posed by toxins, reflecting on his personal experience during the 2001 anthrax attacks, in which he was a target. Senator Daschle emphasized that the threat extends beyond the envelope to food supply chains and water systems. He cautioned about the convergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and biological design tools, noting how this combination could accelerate the design of novel toxins. He further highlighted the risks posed by dual-use research of concern, which raises difficult questions about transparency and creates challenges for attribution. 

In this report, we will focus on the discussion of the first panel, which was titled “Nature to Nefarious” and focused on different types of toxin threats, such as “foodborne exposure, state-sponsored assassination, terrorism, synthetic production, and warfare.” The featured experts included Dr. Gregory D. Koblentz, Director of the Graduate Biodefense Program at George Mason University; Fanny Ewann, CBRNE Specialized Officer for INTERPOL; and Dr. James Giordano, Director of the Center for Disruptive Technologies and Future Warfare at the National Defense University. For more information, a full recording of the event is available on YouTube.  

The panel began with individual presentations by each expert and was followed by a Q&A session that allowed members of the commission to pose follow-up inquiries. As the first presenter, Koblentz started by outlining the technical difficulties in producing toxins in large quantities, therefore arguing that they are better suited for individual attacks rather than large-scale strikes. However, when used against high-profile targets or specific groups, toxins can act as a form of political signaling, thereby demonstrating effectiveness despite their limited range. Consequently, Koblentz argued that toxins can be used as “tools of mass coercion” rather than “weapons of mass destruction”. He also maintained that the rise in authoritarianism across the globe and the rapid advancements in S&T could not only lead to an increase in the demand for biological toxins but also a growth in supply.  

Koblentz, moreover, outlined current international regulations on biological toxins. He emphasized that while the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), as well as the 1925 Geneva Protocol, prohibit the malicious use and weaponization of toxins, significant gaps persist in the treaties’ verification capabilities and the international community’s condemnation of such actions. In that regard, Koblentz criticized Russia’s evasion of noteworthy investigation and political consequences for allegations of past poisonings (such as the 2020 Novichok attack on Navalny) and the pursuit of an illegal government-run program to weaponize biological toxins. According to Koblentz, the willingness to use toxins paired with the capabilities to produce them renders Russia the greatest threat in terms of potential toxin attacks, followed by China, Iran, and North Korea in that order.  

Fanny Ewann from INTERPOL was the second panel speaker. Ewann reiterated that the threat of toxin use has been persistent and is increasing around the world. The primary threat is their use by non-state actors, including terrorist groups, individuals in homicide cases, and, more recently, actors involved in animal poisoning as a form of agroterrorism, which is currently on the rise. Ewann elaborated on several recent cases involving toxins, including last year’s potential bioterror plot in India, the ricin poisoning case in Germany in 2018, the mushroom poisoning case in Australia, and the strychnine poisoning of dogs in Spain. This evolution in the biothreat landscape has prompted INTERPOL to reassess its list of bioagents and toxins of concern for both animal and human populations, expanding the list from four to sixteen biological threats. 

Lastly, Giordano added to the discussion by elaborating on the specific characteristics that render toxins challenging to detect, attribute, and defend against. He argued that current technological advancements facilitate and increase the affordable production of toxins and that such developments allow for the creation of novel toxins that display increased stability and potency while evading detection. Additionally, Giordano maintained that the dual-use nature of toxin research allows malicious actors to access samples and the necessary infrastructure to weaponize toxins covertly. His presentation emphasized that a range of actors (e.g., state, non-state, and “do-it-yourself” communities) possess the capabilities to utilize highly potent toxins to effectively target individuals or create fear in society through random targeting. Giordano’s arguments therefore aligned with his fellow presenters as he defined toxins as “weapons of maximum disruption.”  

During the Q&A section of the panel, the main topics were the influence of AI on the weaponization of toxins and what could be done at the international level to address the threat posed by toxins. Giordano described how AI could not only be used to predict social patterns and behaviors, thereby facilitating targeting, but also enable the production of more deadly toxins that can incapacitate at lower doses than are required for detection. In response to questions from commissioners about steps that could be taken to counter this threat, the panelists called for the introduction of systems that address vulnerabilities in the food supply chain and water systems, improved inter-agency information-sharing on both the domestic and international levels, establishment of a transnational laboratory network for toxin detection, an accountability framework that facilitates attribution of malicious toxin use, and heightened penalization for the misuse of biotoxins.  

Bird Flu Spreads through the Americas 

By Margeaux Malone, Pandora Report Associate Editor 

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) bird flu continues to wreak havoc across the globe. In the United States (U.S.), the USDA confirmed at least 20 H5N1 outbreaks at commercial poultry facilities in recent weeks, with over 11.5 million birds affected across 67 flocks in the past 30 days alone. Among the hardest hit were facilities in North Carolina (3.2 million birds) and Wisconsin (1.2 million birds). Additionally, two live bird markets in Florida and New York reported outbreaks affecting 870 birds. Wild birds have also been heavily impacted, with around 60 detections reported in the past week across states including Colorado and Ohio. 

In South America, Argentina has seen a resurgence in bird flu detections, the first since being deemed disease free in September 2025, including nearly 20,000 birds in a flock of breeding stock in Lobos and a laying hen flock in Alejo Ledesma. The virus has also been detected in wild and backyard birds across Colombia, Brazil, and Uruguay, often in animals located near wetlands where interaction with wild birds increases transmission risk. 

UK Turkey Vaccine Trials Underway 

In response to the escalating crisis, the United Kingdom (UK) launched targeted bird flu vaccine trials in turkeys on March 5 in England. Annual outbreaks cost the UK government and industry up to £174 million, making the search for effective preventative tools increasingly urgent. Turkeys were selected due to their high susceptibility to the virus and the rapid mortality rates seen during outbreaks. 

The 24-week trials will assess vaccine efficacy in real field conditions and will help inform final recommendations of the UK HPAI vaccination taskforce. France has already credited nationwide duck vaccination, introduced in 2023, with curbing its outbreaks, and similar trials are underway in the Netherlands and the United States despite ongoing concerns that vaccination could jeopardize exports and trade. 

CRISPR Takes on H5N1 

Beyond vaccines, innovative research and new approaches to combat HPAI continue to emerge. In February 2026, US biotech firm Seek Labs was awarded a $2 million USDA grant to develop a CRISPR-based therapeutic designed to remain effective even as the virus mutates. Unlike traditional treatments that target specific strains, their proprietary “programmable therapeutic platform” uses AI-driven genomic surveillance to continuously analyze viral changes and then identify and disrupt stable regions of the virus’s genome. The project is being conducted in collaboration with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. 

Further Reading:  

• “First Cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Northern Elephant Seals Confirmed in California,” University of California, Davis 
• “Monk seals get bird flu vaccine as California responds to outbreak,” Savannah Harriman-Pote, Hawaiʻi Public Radio 
• “Bird flu vaccine trials ‘momentous’ for farmers,” Alex Dunlop, BBC 
• “FFAR Funds Research to Mitigate Airborne Transmission of Avian Flu,” Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research 
• “‘We’ve seen this before’: Bird flu again hits Wisconsin poultry farms,” Hope Kirwan, Wisconsin Public Radio 

IN OTHER NEWS 

Public Health and Disease Surveillance 

• “Dynamics of natural selection preceding human viral epidemics and pandemics,” Jennifer L. Havens, Sergei L. Kosakovsky Pond, Jordan D. Zehr, Jonathan E. Pekar, Edyth Parker, Michael Worobey, Kristian G. Andersen, and Joel O. Wertheim, Cell Press 
• “Scientists Get a Glimpse of How New Pandemics Are Made,” Carl Zimmer, NYTimes  
• “US measles total approaches 1,300 infections,” Jim Wappes, CIDRAP 
• “Large drugmakers are developing fewer antibiotics, analysis finds,” Ed Silverman, StatNews 

Biosecurity Governance, Oversight and Risk Mitigation 

• “Cost–benefit analysis for synthetic nucleic acid screening in the European Union,” Sana Zakaria, Gabriella Franchi, Matt Sharkey, Adam Urwick, Manpreet Bhangal, and Richard Bruns, RAND 
• “Have an Idea on How to Modernize and Strengthen the Oversight of Biosafety? Let us Know!” NIH 

CBRN Policy and National Security 

• “Start Planning Now to Secure CBRN Materials in Iran,” Richard Cupitt, Christina McAllister, and Barbara Slavin, Stimson 
• “Stockpiles, Countermeasures, and Deterrence: A Blueprint to Fix America’s Biodefense Gap,” Greg Burel, RealClear Defense 
• “AI-Ready Biodata Is America’s Next Strategic Infrastructure,” Michelle Holko, John Wilbanks, and Sam Howell, War on the Rocks 
• “The Nucleic Acid Observatory is now SecureBio Detection,” Jeff Kaufman, SecureBio 

Science Policy, Funding and Research Infrastructure  

• “China pledges billion-dollar spending boost for science,” Xiaoying You, Nature 
• “White House stalls release of approved US science budgets,” Max Kozlov, Alexandra Witze, and Dan Garisto, Nature 
• “Trump administration’s embattled FDA vaccine chief is leaving for the second time,” Matthew Perrone, APNews 

NEW: Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) Lessons Observed Webinar (GLOW) 

From GHSA: “Please join the GHSA Antimicrobial Resistance Action Package (APP-1) for a GHSA Lessons Observed Webinar (GLOW) to learn more about Sweden’s cross-border, collaborative approaches across the Nordic and Baltic regions to address the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This GLOW event is open to anyone interested in learning more about lessons observed in effective partnerships to address AMR and other threats to global health security. Please share the attached invitation across your national and technical networks.” 

This event will be held on Thursday, March 19 at 7:00 AM EDT | 12:00 PM CET. Learn more and register here. 

Prioritizing Biological Risks: The Case for AMR  

From Effective Altruism Austria: “Biological threats represent some of the most pressing global risks of our time, yet they remain significantly under-prioritized compared to their potential impact. In this talk, participants will learn 1) What biosecurity encompasses and why it should be a priority within the EA community; 2) How antimicrobial resistance (AMR) fits into the broader biosecurity landscape and why it deserves special attention; and 3) Why AMR represents a “silent pandemic” with massive intervention opportunities when analyzed through EA frameworks of importance, neglectedness, and tractability, plus how it connects with other cause areas like global health and development.” 

This event will be held virtually on Tuesday, March 24, 1:30 – 3:00 PM ET. Learn more and register here.  

CBRNe Convergence Canada 2026

CBRNe World is hosting its fourth CBRNe Convergence Canada event this year in Toronto! This event will focus on a range of topical issues, including responding to potential CBRN incidents in the High North, response to terrorist attacks at major sporting events, and presentations on Canadian response capabilities, and the largest CBRN/Hazmat exhibition in Canada.

This event will take place April 13-15 at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel, Toronto Downtown. Learn more here, and stay tuned for forthcoming information about CBRNe Convergence this November in Knoxville, TN!

International Conference CBRNe Research & Innovation  

From CBRNE: “The last 40 years have demonstrated that both military and civilian populations could be exposed to highly hazardous CBRNE agents following conflicts, natural outbreaks and disasters, industrial incidents or terrorist attacks. Worldwide, researchers, responders and industrial capacities have been commited to provide adapted response to these challenges. The CBRNE Research & Innovation Conference includes workshops and demonstrations of innovative materials, technologies and procedures, according to the following themes: Detection (identification), Protection (decontamination, medical countermeasures), and risk & crisis management.  

This event will take place in Arcachon, France, from May 19 – 21, 2026. Learn more and RSVP here. 

GHS 2026

From GHS: “We’re excited to officially announce that the 4th Global Health Security Conference (GHS2026) will be held in Kuala Lumpur on the 9 – 12 June, 2026!”

“Building on the incredible momentum of GHS2024 in Sydney, we look forward to bringing together the global health security community once again – this time in one of Southeast Asia’s most vibrant and dynamic cities.”

“Registration and Call for Abstracts are now live!”

Learn more, submit abstracts, and register here.

NEW: Bio-Responsibility Future Leaders Programme from the Indian Institute of Science 

From the Centre for Society and Policy: “The Bio-responsibility Future Leaders Programme (BFLP) is a year-long, part-time training programme focused on building the future leaders to promote safe, secure and responsible research and innovation in life sciences in India. The programme is run by the Centre for Society and Policy, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. The programme will strive to create national capacity at the intersection of life sciences, security, and policy by training and supporting emerging leaders through interactive workshops, seminars, and high-level policy roundtable discussions.” 

The application to apply is March 22. Learn more and submit your application here. 

Institute for Science and International Security Hosts Two-Day Course on Nuclear Non-Proliferation at George Mason University! 

From ISIS: “The Institute for Science and International Security, a non-partisan NGO based in Washington D.C., focused on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, is bringing its free technical course on nuclear weapons and their proliferation to the GMU. David Albright and Sarah Burkhard will provide a solid foundation of the scientific and technical aspects of nuclear weapons, including the key facets of developing nuclear weapons, including fissile material production – uranium enrichment, plutonium production and separation – and nuclear weaponization and delivery. It will include how we have learned about secret nuclear weapons programs in Iran, Pakistan, North Korea, South Africa, and other countries.  

The course will be taught in two half-day sessions, March 31^st and April 6^th, at George Mason University, Van Metre Hall, Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA. Attendees will receive a certificate of attendance. The course is free, but registration is required by sending an email with your full name and affiliation to bitaraf@isis-online.org.” 

Deputy Director for Scientific and Regulatory Compliance – Job Opening 

From the Virginia Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services: “DCLS is seeking an experienced laboratory leader to serve as Deputy Director for Scientific and Regulatory Compliance. This Deputy Director position will report directly to the Laboratory Director and will work collaboratively with the senior leadership team to promote the role of Virginia’s state laboratory and our mission of promoting a healthier, safer world through quality laboratory service.” 

Learn more and submit your application here. 

ICGEB Fellowships for Scientists in Biosecurity  

From the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology: “With the co-funding of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation through the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), BWC ISU, the ICGEB offers early-career scientists from OECD/DAC countries a fellowship at ICGEB laboratories in Italy, India, South Africa and at the ICGEB Regional Research Centre in China, to receive hands on training in life sciences and detection and response to biological threats.” 

The closing date for applications is March 31, 23:59 CET. Learn more and apply here. 

9th World One Health Congress – Calls for Abstracts 

From Global One Health Community: “The One Health Congress invites abstracts, session concept notes, and workshop proposals addressing innovative research, policy, and practice across human-animal-plant-environment interfaces. Submissions are welcomed under the following themes: 1) Climate change, environment, and ecosystems health; 2) Biodiversity, wildlife, and pathogen interfaces; 3) Food systems, agriculture, and plant health; 4) Pathogens, microbiome, and intervention strategies; 5) Antimicrobial resistance (AMR); 6) Data, technology and innovative analytics; 7) Knowledge, education and communities; 8) Governance, policy and legal frameworks, 9) One Health implementation and financing; 10) Preparedness, resilience and economic evaluation; 11) Biosecurity, biosafety and global health security; 12) The critical role of the private sector in One Health policy.  

Learn more and submit here.