Pandora Report 7.4.2025

by dkellogg97, posted in Pandora Report

This week’s Pandora Report includes alumni news, H5N1 updates, discussion of the new BIOTech Caucus, new publications, and more.

Biodefense PhD Alumna Named George Mason Senior VP and COO

Julie Zobel, an alumna of George Mason University’s Biodefense PhD Program, was recently named the university’s senior vice president and chief operating officer (COO) following a nationwide search. Joining George Mason in 2000, Zobel began as a health and safety engineer focused on chemical, biological, and radiation safety for George Mason’s instructional and research laboratories, serving in an escalating progression of leadership roles before becoming George Mason’s first chief risk officer in February 2024. Zobel provided operational stewardship of the university’s response to COVID-19, for which George Mason was recognized as a national leader in pandemic management. She also served as interim SVP beginning in August 2024 and was selected for this new role in April 2025 following a nationwide search.

Read more about her selection and experience here.

Updates on the Mess at HHS

World Leaders Pledge $9 Billion in Support to Gavi Following RFK Jr.’s Announcement of US Funding Withdrawal

Following the announcement that the US will halt its funding to Gavi, the vaccine alliance, world leaders at the Global Summit: Health & Prosperity through Immunisation pledged more than €7.7 billion (about $9 billion in USD) towards Gavi’s target budget of €10.2 billion (≈$12 billion) for 2026-2030. The summit also concluded with €3.8 billion (≈$4.5 billion) in complementary financing from development finance institutions, up to €170.6 million (≈$200 million) in cost savings for Gavi-supported programs announced by vaccine manufacturers, and other innovations and supply commitments that includes a €34.1 million (≈$40 million) anchor commitment towards a new Innovation Scale-Up Fund.

The summit saw a record number of new donors emerge to support Gavi’s next strategic cycle. Furthermore, some existing donors were unable to announce new commitments due to their own domestic budgetary cycles, demonstrating the broad base of support Gavi has in meeting its target budget. Furthermore, Gavi’s implementing countries are expected to invest a record €3.4 billion (≈$4 billion) towards their own immunization programs over the next five years.

President of the European Commission Usrula von der Leyen said in a statement, “Investing in health is investing in our shared future. Our work with Gavi saves lives. For over 20 years, we have stood side by side, with the European Union contributing over EUR 3.2 billion to vaccinate more than 1 billion children against deadly diseases. But millions still need this vital protection. Today, Team Europe is pledging more than EUR 2 billion. The EU remains committed to this mission so that children across the world are safer, healthier and stronger. This is global solidarity in action.”

Further Reading:

ACIP Fallout Continues

Following June’s meeting of the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), public health experts continue to sound the alarm about both Secretary Kennedy’s replacement of the 17 sitting ACIP members and the outcomes of the recent meeting. They warn that ACIP’s decision to recommend only single-dose flu vaccines (the thimerosal-free presentations), and the promise to revisit the entire childhood vaccine schedule and certain other routine vaccines, were driven by politics rather than science. They further fear this will only further undermine public confidence in vaccines. Criticism of the platforming of anti-vaccine advocates like Lyn Redwood by ACIP has also continued.

Further Reading:

CDC Grants Moving Behind Schedule

CDC has reportedly not yet received its full FY 2025 funding, operating instead with just 30-days worth of funding at a time. The impact of this has been severe, with potential to cause even greater damage soon. Because CDC does not have its funding, it is running behind on providing notices of awards to state and local health departments, agencies that overwhelmingly depend on federal funding and that use much of that funding to contract with local organizations. Many health departments have received no communication about why this process is delayed, making it risky for them to continue work without knowing they will be reimbursed for it. CDC staffers told NPR that the funding is now months late, and, if it is not dispersed soon, it will be too late to do so.

Prasad Overrode FDA Staff Experts on COVID-19 Vaccines

Vinay Prasad, Director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at FDA, rejected broad uses of the Nuvaxovid COVID-19 vaccine from Novavax and Moderna’s next generation mRNA COVID-19 vaccine for those 12 and older. Prasad cited unknown risks or injuries in doing so, despite assurances of their safety from dozens of FDA experts. In fact, documents (linked below) reveal that vaccine staff members at FDA had already signed off on approving both vaccines. Prasad overruled both recommendations, instead advising restricting the use of both vaccines. Prasad wrote in the memo about Nuvaxovid, “Even rare vaccination-related harms, both known and unknown, now have a higher chance of outweighing potential benefits in non-high-risk populations.”

Further Reading:

RIP USAID, 1961-2025

The administration has officially dissolved the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), destroying an agency that for nearly 65 years served as a symbol of US generosity, leadership, and strength globally while advancing the national interests of the United States. USAID was established by President Kennedy in 1961 specifically to counter the USSR’s soft power globally. As a Congressional Research Service report explains, “USAID has sought to provide assistance to countries that the U.S. government has deemed to be strategically important and countries in conflict; lead U.S. efforts to alleviate poverty, disease, and humanitarian need abroad; and assist U.S. commercial interests by supporting developing countries’ economic growth and building countries’ capacity to participate in world trade.”

USAID’s logo

USAID did just that spectacularly, saving an estimated 91 million lives from 2001 to 2021 alone, 30 million of whom were children. The same analysis estimates that 14 million more will die in the next five years, 4-5 million of whom are expected to be children, and that was just if USAID cuts continued, not if the agency was completely shuttered. Despite this, the administration claims the agency “has little to show since the end of the Cold War.”

USAID’s work did not just save and improve lives in low- and middle-income countries. It directly improved the safety, security, and prosperity of the US itself. The Challenge Accepted report from 2022 detailed how USAID investments in resilience and adaptation were critical to preventing instability and conflict, and how they helped the US maintain a competitive edge against China. That report was signed by 79 national security leaders, including a former DNI, a former CIA director, and eight retired four-star officers. Furthermore, since 2006, the US has embraced the 3 Ds of national security–defense, diplomacy, and development. For many countries around the world, development is the most effective tool the US has in its toolbox, making USAID’s work vital to national security. The agency also helped cultivate goodwill towards the US around the world, something that takes a long time to build, a lot of effort to maintain, and is invaluable when conflicts do arise.

USAID did all of this on a comparatively small budget. While the agency’s budget fluctuated from year-to-year, it spent $21.7 billion in FY 2024. While USAID accounted for the majority of US foreign aid spending, that was still just .3% of federal spending in that fiscal year. Polling suggests that many in the US believe foreign aid accounts for around 25% of the federal budget, and many of those polled also said that number should be closer to 10%. When the government spent $71.9 billion total on foreign aid in FY 2023, that was still just 1.2% of that fiscal year’s budget. Of that, USAID received $40 billion in combined appropriations, less than 1% of the total federal budget. In fact, the average US taxpayer has contributed just 18¢ per day to USAID’s budget. In contrast, the average US taxpayer paid about $4.79 per day toward Pentagon contractors alone in 2023.

With more than 80% of USAID’s former programs terminated, most of its staff fired, and the Department of State now overseeing US foreign assistance, the future of US foreign aid is unclear at best. In a statement about USAID’s dissolution, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “Foreign assistance programs that align with administration policies — and which advance American interests — will be administered by the State Department, where they will be delivered with more accountability, strategy, and efficiency.”

Rubio further claimed the US is abandoning a “charity-based model” of foreign aid, saying “We will favor those nations that have demonstrated both the ability and willingness to help themselves and will target our resources to areas where they can have a multiplier effect and catalyze durable private sector, including American companies, and global investment.”

Further Reading:

Brain Drain, Global Decline, and Death: Further Reading on the Consequences of Cuts to US Science, Global Aid, and More

Bird Flu Updates

By Margeaux Malone, Pandora Report Associate Editor

A Deep Dive into Bird Flu with Scientific American

Scientific American’s Science Quickly podcast released a compelling three-part series examining the H5N1 bird flu outbreak that continues to keep public health officials on their toes. The investigation traces the virus’s complex journey from wild birds to domestic poultry, dairy cattle, and ultimately humans.

The series begins on the beaches of Delaware Bay, where virus hunters from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital collect excrement from migrating shorebirds to monitor avian viruses. Part one explores the evolution of bird flu over the last few decades, tracing how H5N1 transformed from isolated outbreaks, like the 1997 Hong Kong incident that killed six people, into today’s globally circulating pathogen.

Part two shifts the focus to dairy farms, revealing how cattle became unexpected intermediaries of bird flu virus transmission. After Texas farmers noticed lethargic cows producing discolored milk, genetic analysis revealed H5N1 contamination, a shocking development that caught the dairy industry unprepared.

The final installment takes listeners inside a high-security BSL-3 laboratory in San Antonio where scientists are developing vaccine candidates against potential pandemic flu strains. The series offers engaging insights into the history of bird flu and why it poses such a potential risk to humans, concluding with the unsettling question of whether we’re sufficiently prepared if an influenza pandemic comes home to roost.

Further Listening:

Feline Avian Flu Cases Highlight Surveillance Gaps

Since December 2022, USDA has confirmed over 130 feline cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 across the United States affecting barn and feral cats, big cats in zoos and in the wild, and pet cats living exclusively indoors. Although cats are typically dead-end hosts for the virus, there are rising concerns that they may serve as a bridge for zoonotic spillover of H5N1 to humans or allow for the emergence of mutated strains capable of spreading from cat-to-cat. In fact, such a situation occurred in a New York City shelter in 2016 with a strain of low pathogenic avian influenza H7N2, marking the first documented cat-to-human transmission of influenza A virus infection. Experts like Dr. Meghan Davis from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health advocate for more active testing and surveillance of HPAI in domestic species to mitigate pandemic risk, particularly in farm and shelter environments where epidemiological data is in short supply. However, such recommendations raise pressing questions about who would pay for these programs. Currently, the government does not reimburse veterinarians for H5N1 testing in cats, and the volume of tests and man-hours needed for active surveillance would be significant.

Further Reading:

Representatives form Bipartisan BIOTech Caucus

Representatives Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) and Stephanie Bice (R-OK) recently announced the formation of the bipartisan BIOTech Caucus. The mission of this caucus is to “…advance bipartisan policy solutions to keep the United States at the forefront of global biotechnology leadership, to engage and learn from sector leaders, and to build awareness and bioliteracy among Members of Congress.”

Houlahan and Bice will serve as co-chairs and be joined by Representatives Ro Khanna (D-CA), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) and Pete Sessions (R-TX). According to the press release about this from Houlahan’s office, “The Caucus recognizes the strategic economic and national security imperatives of federal policy investments in emerging biotechnology. The Caucus’ founding comes after the release of the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB)’s comprehensive report to Congress in April of this year. The NSCEB report showed that China is surging ahead in key areas of emerging biotechnology, and Congress must act now to ensure the United States regains and retains its competitive edge. Failure to respond urgently to this and other national vulnerabilities risks the United States falling dangerously, and potentially irrecoverably, behind. Ceding biotechnology leadership will also cripple the robust industry job growth in America. On a national scale, the bioscience industry had a $2.9 trillion impact on the economy in 2021, supporting 2.1 million jobs.”

“The Mpox Response: African Leadership, Global Responsibility”

This editorial from The Lancet emphasizes the critical role African institutions are playing in responding to mpox outbreaks on the continent. It explains that a continent-wide Incident Management Support Team is being led by both Africa CDC and the WHO’s Regional Office for Africa and is coordinating vaccine deployment, surveillance, testing, and infection control efforts, However, these efforts are being made under very challenging conditions, which includes overlapping outbreaks of different mpox variants, the cholera epidemic, widespread poverty, and ongoing conflicts (particularly in the DRC).

The editorial criticizes the global response to mpox in Africa despite these efforts, arguing that they are insufficient and marked by complacency, and that a similar situation in high-income countries would likely instill much more urgency globally. It argues that this situation is a test of lessons learned in responding to COVID-19 and whether or not the world can now meaningfully cooperate in response to this kind of emergency. Thus, while public health institutions in Africa have demonstrated their capacity to lead well, sustained international support is still lacking. The editorial calls for the WHO Pandemic Agreement to be strengthened so it can deliver on its promises and ensure that improved global health cooperation comes to fruition.

“Advancing the Global Agenda for Pandemic Risk Assessment (June 2025)”

From the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response: “On 20 May 2025, The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response hosted a roundtable titled ‘Advancing the Global Agenda for Pandemic Risk Assessment’, co-sponsored by the Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations Office at Geneva. This report provides the context and summarises the themes, ideas and questions emerging from an open discussion on the concept of a multisectoral scientific synthesis to inform pandemic risk priorities and investments.”

“Data and AI-Enabled Biological Design: Risks Related to Biological Training Data and Opportunities for Governance”

From the RAND Corporation: “Artificial intelligence models trained on large volumes of biological data (AI-bio models) have demonstrated the growing abilities to support of basic scientific research goals. But some AI-bio models may be dual use, providing both beneficial capabilities and potentially dangerous ones. A nefarious actor with access to a frontier AI-bio model might be able to use it to design a pathogen with harmful phenotypic characteristics that enhance transmissibility. But model capabilities are closely linked to the data used to train them, and much less attention has been devoted to the relationship between dangerous capabilities and biological training data. The data that are included (or excluded) in model training heavily influences the models’ capabilities and limitations. Governance of data used to train AI-bio models could be a useful way to allow beneficial scientific research while safeguarding against potentially dangerous capabilities.”

“The authors of this paper assess current knowledge about the link between biological data and AI-bio model capabilities, describe the anticipated impacts of new biological data sources, and outline potentially dangerous capabilities that could come from broad availability of certain types of biological data. They then recommend strategies to limit the potentially dangerous capabilities arising from biological data, including options for governance of experiments and data creation, governance of curation and aggregations of data, controls on access to collections of data, and governance of the use of data for model training.”

“Hospital Attacks in Gaza and Israel: What Counts as a War Crime?”

Leonard S. Rubenstein and Feroze Sidhwa published this article in Think Global Health, in which they open with discussion of an Iranian missile hitting Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, Israel, and the Israeli Air Force bombing Farabi Medical Center in Kermanshah, Iran. They build off of Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz’s statement calling Iran’s strike a war crime, writing in part, “Whether the attacks on Soroka and Farabi were war crimes is ultimately a question for investigators. But Katz’s point is correct: Attacks on hospitals, which are subject to special protections under international humanitarian law, are war crimes of the most serious kind.”

“That is why we—along with American and British health-care workers who’ve worked in Gaza, American senators and representatives [PDF], lawyers and civil servants [PDF] in the Joe Biden administration and the UK, UN experts, and Holocaust and genocide scholars—have been begging the United States to stop providing the weapons Israel has used not just to attack one hospital in Gaza but to demolish the strip’s entire health-care system. Indeed, over the past 20 months Israel, fully backed by the United States, has abandoned any pretense of respecting the protections enjoyed by hospitals under international law.”

Biodefense in Crisis: Danger and Opportunity

“This Commission meeting, Biodefense in Crisis: Danger and Opportunity, will be held on July 22, 2025. As a new Administration begins to develop its policy priorities and realigns federal offices and programs, the government must maintain and strengthen federal capabilities to address the biological threat. The focus of this meeting will be to provide the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense with a better understanding of (1) core requirements for effective national biodefense; (2) Administration biodefense priorities; (3) impacts of department and agency realignment; and (4) strategies for addressing future biological threats. More information will be provided as the event date approaches.”

This event will take place on July 22, 10 am-4 pm ET in Washington, DC. Register here.

SBA.4 International Synthetic Biology and Biosecurity Conference in Africa

From SynBio Africa: “The SBA 4.0 conference will serve as a platform for fostering connections among industry, academia, community groups, and policymakers. It will showcase innovative applications of synthetic biology and AI, and highlight ongoing efforts in biomathematics, biomanufacturing, one-health, biosafety and biosecurity. It will also facilitate networking and information exchange. Key focus areas include tackling agriculture, health, environmental management, and industry challenges. In Africa, synthetic biology is poised to drive the national development agenda by promoting a sustainable bioeconomy, supporting health and agricultural systems, and aiding environmental conservation and restoration. This event will provide a vital opportunity for stakeholders to discuss and strategize the integration of synthetic biology innovations, address policy, legal frameworks, and communicate the benefits of the technology.”

This conference will take place July 23-25 in Kigali. Learn more and register here.

CTD–SPECTRE Symposium, “Tropical and Emerging Infectious Diseases for Clinicians and Translational Scientists” 

“The CTD-SPECTRE Symposium on Tropical and Emerging Infectious Diseases for Clinicians and Translational Scientists 2025 offers a unique opportunity to connect with global experts, gain cutting-edge insights, and collaborate with peers dedicated to infectious disease research and treatment.”

“Taking place September 16 -19, 2025, at the historic Grand Galvez in Galveston, TX, this immersive symposium will unite clinicians, translational investigators, and trainees to explore the latest breakthroughs in tropical and emerging infectious diseases.”

“Hosted by the Division of Infectious Diseases at UTMB, Center for Tropical Diseases (CTD) and Special Pathogens Excellence in Clinical Treatment, Readiness, & Education (SPECTRE) Program.”

Learn more and register here.

Applied Biosafety Call for Papers

“The Editors of Applied Biosafety are pleased to announce a forthcoming Special Issue focused on the myriad of topics associated with global biosafety management. This special issue will showcase examples of innovative approaches, creative solutions, and best practices developed and used around the world for managing risks associated with the handling, use, and storage of infectious biological agents, toxins, and potentially infectious materials in research and clinical settings.”

Learn more and submit by November 1 here.

Request for Proposals: Biosafety and Biosecurity Capacity Strengthening in Support of the 100 Days Mission

From CEPI: “This Request for Proposals (RfP) will support the establishment of a group of implementation partners to enable successful implementation of CEPI’s Biosecurity Strategy, focused on objectives associated with capacity strengthening, equity, and health-security partnerships, as described in CEPI’s Biosecurity Strategy Implementation Plan. The selected applicants will sign a Framework Agreement under which CEPI can make “call-offs”, i.e. requests for services, related to specific tasks. At CEPI’s direction, services rendered under this Framework Agreement may be provided to CEPI internally, or to a partner organization (e.g. partner countries, affiliates within CEPI’s laboratory and manufacturing networks particularly in the Global South, international organisations, etc.); such partners may govern aspects of the content of the work, but the legal agreement remains with CEPI.”

Learn more and submit proposals by July 30 here.

Call for Applications: Mid-Career Biodefense Bootcamp Fellowship (2025)
“…the Council on Strategic Risks (CSR) is continuing to develop and cultivate creative solutions to help address biological threats, including a particular focus on reducing risks of the deliberate misuse of infectious diseases and other biological materials, processes, and products. As part of this work, CSR is announcing an open call for applications for our new Mid-Career Biodefense Bootcamp Fellowship, which follows an early-2024 beta run of the program.”

“In this “bootcamp” fellowship, successful applicants will learn from leading experts committed to biological threat reduction and biosecurity, including current and former government officials who helped dismantle Cold War-era biological weapons capabilities, advance international biological cooperation, and drive policy progress. They will interact with leading current and former experts as well as public and private sector innovators.”

Learn more and apply by July 7 here.

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