Welcome to this week’s Pandora Report! ❄️ This issue highlights emerging global biosecurity and public health risks, including the latest developments in synthetic biology with the launch of IBBIS’ Global DNA Synthesis Map, the spread of avian influenza from vampire bats in Peru, and ongoing chemical weapons accountability in Syria and the U.K.
From DNA Synthesis to Vaccines: Tracking Biosecurity and Public Health Risk Worldwide
By Carmen Shaw, Co-Managing Editor of the Pandora Report
The International Biosecurity and Biosafety Initiative for Science (IBBIS) launched the Global DNA Synthesis Map on Tuesday, December 9 at the BWC Working Group event at the United Nations Office in Geneva. The map provides the first publicly available global overview of DNA synthesis providers, screening practices, regulatory frameworks and distribution channels, including third-party vendor networks. Data from over 1,000 companies across 81 countries reveal the world’s approaches to DNA synthesis, offering a critical evidence base for diplomats, policymakers, biosecurity professionals, and industry to inform decision-making, strengthen risk-mitigation strategies, and advance responsible innovation.
Explore the map here.
Further Reading:
- “Where lab-made DNA is created — and barely policed,” Shayna Korol, Vox
- “AIxBio = Big Promise + New Risks,” Kaitlyn Gibbons, NTI
- “GC Biopharma ships Korea’s first recombinant anthrax vaccine, boosts biodefense,” Yeom Hyun-a, Chosun Biz
- “Use Cases for Emerging Technologies to Strengthen High-containment Laboratory Governance,” Miranda Smith, SIPRI
- “Guidance for Assessing Biosecurity and Biosafety Risks: For the Purpose of Reviewing Research Proposals Prior to Funding,” NTI
- “Use all the tools of the trade: Building a foundation for the next era of biosecurity,” Steph Batalis, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Chemical & Biological Weapons Governance
GMU’s Biodefense Director on Syria’s Unresolved Chemical Weapons Legacy
In a December 9 article for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Gregory Koblentz – Associate Professor and Director of the Biodefense Graduate Program at George Mason University warns that significant elements of Syria’s former chemical weapons (CWs) program remain unaccounted for more than a year after the fall of the Assad regime. Drawing on findings from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Koblentz documents evidence of undeclared stockpiles, missing munitions, and unresolved discrepancies in Syria’s CW declarations. He highlights the persistent risk that residual chemical agents could fall into the hands of insurgent groups or be rediscovered amid ongoing instability. Koblentz argues that the United States and its allies must act urgently to accelerate inspections and complete destruction efforts in coordination with the OPCW, emphasizing that fully dismantling Syria’s chemical weapons is essential for regional stability and global chemical nonproliferation. Read more of the article here.
International Law & Accountability
A new working paper by Elisabeth Hoffberger-Pippan examines the role of national and international courts in enforcing prohibitions under the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) and Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). While both treaties provide formal mechanisms for accountability, these processes are often limited by political considerations, especially in times of geopolitical instability. Hoffberger-Pippan notes that the number of court cases addressing chemical and biological weapons (CBWs) has increased, but procedural restrictions in both national and international jurisdictions continue to impede effective enforcement of these prohibitions. The working paper is available for download here.
Building on these legal frameworks, international efforts to strengthen the BWC are ongoing this week in Geneva, as state parties review the final report of the BWC Working Group. Daily updates from the meetings are being provided by the website, CBW Events, offering timely insights into negotiations, areas of agreement, and remaining points of contention among state parties. A consolidated collection of Richard Guthrie’s reporting on the BWC meetings is available online: https://www.cbw-events.org.uk/bwc-rep.html
Further Reading:
- “For Bioweapons Experts, Trump’s UN Speech Presents a Window of Opportunity,” Lucas Fluegel, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- “European Union CBRN Centres of Excellence: United Arab Emirates Advances National Preparedness Against CBRN Crimes Through Table-Top Exercise,” UNICRI
The U.K.: The Dawn Sturgess Inquiry and Chemical Weapons Accountability
In the United Kingdom, the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry, launched in 2021 by the Home Secretary, continues to examine the circumstances surrounding the poisoning of Sturgess by a Russian nerve agent, Novichok, exposure near Salisbury in 2018. The death has been linked to the attempted assassination of former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal. In a recent BBC News report, some are concluding that Russian President Vladimir Putin was “morally responsible” for Sturgess’s death, who was unknowingly exposed after handling a discarded perfume bottle containing the toxic nerve agent. While Moscow continues to deny involvement, the case has become a focal point in discussions over state responsibility and response, attribution, and the enforcement of prohibitions on chemical weapons.
The U.S.: Intelligence Transparency on the Origins of COVID-19
Parallel debates over transparency and attribution are unfolding in the U.S. as well. For years, many were interested to see what U.S. spy agencies really know about COVID-19’s origins, whether it was a natural spillover event or a so-called “lab leak.” According to U.S. Right to Know, a provision included in the proposed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY2026 would require the Director of National Intelligence, in coordination with federal intelligence agencies, to review and work to declassify information related to the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill – which is set for votes in the House and Senate this week – mandates greater intelligence about coronavirus research in Chinese labs, including what is known about risky “gain-of-function” research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), and Chinese government control over early pandemic information.
Further Reading:
- “The Married Scientists Torn Apart by a Covid Bioweapon Theory,” Katie J. M. Baker, NYTimes
From Birds to Bats: Avian Flu Spreads Its Wings
By Margeaux Malone, Pandora Report Associate Editor
The bird flu outbreak has expanded to include a new mammalian host. Vampire bats along Peru’s coast have tested positive for H5N1 antibodies, marking the first time these blood-feeding mammals have been confirmed as susceptible to the virus.
In a new preprint study published on bioRxiv in nearly November, researchers revealed that over a dozen common vampire bats living along Peru’s Pacific coast carried antibodies against H5N1, indicating previous exposure to the avian influenza strain battering birds, livestock, and a variety of mammalian species around the globe. The bats likely contracted the virus while feeding on infected marine animals during a massive 2022-2023 outbreak that killed more than 560,000 seabirds and 10,000 sea lions in Peru alone.
Wildlife veterinarian I-Ting Tu from the University of Glasgow led the research effort, collecting samples from hundreds of vampire bats across coastal and inland regions. The team discovered that coastal bats fed on a surprisingly diverse array of marine wildlife, including sea lions, pelicans, cormorants, and penguins, all potential sources of H5N1 exposure. These findings raise concerns that bats may serve as a bridge between marine and terrestrial mammals. Bats live in dense colonies where viruses can easily spread, thus they could potentially become a permanent reservoir for H5N1 more readily than other mammals. Bats are already notorious for harboring a plethora of zoonotic viruses including rabies virus and many coronaviruses. Some Peruvian vampire bats feed on both marine animals and livestock, creating potential pathways for the virus to spread into agricultural settings, evolve further, and potentially adapt to mammals including humans.
Fortunately, researchers say it’s not yet time to panic. Only about 8% of individuals in any colony showed antibodies, suggesting H5N1 hasn’t established efficient bat-to-bat transmission. It is unclear why the infection has spread poorly among bats, as they appear to have the necessary receptors in their lungs for H5N1 to cling to. There doesn’t seem to be a real physiological barrier, and it may be that the virus is simply not yet optimized to sustain a chain of infection in bats. This means bats are unlikely to become a permanent viral reservoir, at least for now; however, repeated spillover between marine mammals, livestock, and bats could create a pathway for the virus to acquire new traits, establish itself in new hosts, and potentially become more deadly or contagious. Researchers stress the need for continued surveillance, particularly at sites where bats interact with both marine wildlife and domestic animals.
Further Reading:
- “New avian flu outbreaks reported in 5 states,” Chris Dall, CIDRAP
- “Iowa study: Bird flu could spread to more species and humans via raw milk,” Jason Clayworth, Axios
- “EU launches ‘pre-pandemic’ plan to stop bird flu jumping to humans,” Maeve Cullinan, The Telegraph
- “Bird flu hasn’t reached Australia, but researchers are prepping for when it arrives,” Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR
Vaccines Under Scrutiny: Domestic Policy Changes and Global Gaps
ACIP Vaccine Rollback Sparks Safety Concern in the U.S.
From Health Policy Watch: “A U.S. vaccine advisory panel, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), has voted to eliminate a 30-year recommendation that all newborns in the U.S. receive the hepatitis B (Hep B) vaccine at birth, stating the shot is no longer necessary for babies born to mothers who test negative for the virus. Instead, ACIP recommends delaying the first dose to no earlier than two months and consulting with a doctor.”
Medical experts have raised concerns about the decision. Organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics argue that the decision lacks sufficient implementation research to ensure safety. Without further research, there is a risk that Hep B could still be transmitted from asymptomatic mothers to newborns at birth. “We should do the studies first to determine if fewer doses are actually effective,” said Dr Judith Shlay, a family medicine specialist. The recommendation must now be approved by Jim O’Neil, the acting director of the CDC.
Further Reading:
- “RFK Jr.’s vaccine panel is laying the groundwork for more scrutiny of childhood shots,” Daniel Payne and Chelsea Cirruzzo, StatNews
- “CDC adviser: Newborn vaccine rollback ‘wasn’t based on data’,” Tara Suter, The Hill
- “Hepatitis B vaccine guidance set to be rolled back for US babies: what the science says,” Mariana Lenharo and Heidi Ledford, Nature
Global Polio Eradication Faces Funding Shortfalls
Meanwhile, on the global stage, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has received $1.9 billion in pledges from international donors to advance polio eradication. Contributions came from a diverse group of donors and countries, including $1.2 billion from the Gates Foundation, $140 million from the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, and $450 million from Rotary International. Despite these commitments, a significant funding gap of approximately $440 million remains for GPEI’s 2022-2029 Strategy, following reductions in foreign aid from high-income countries.
This private-public partnership (PPP) aims to eradicate polio worldwide by 2029, using the funds to vaccinate 370 million children against polio each year while strengthening regional health systems. However, the outlook is uncertain: the U.K., Germany, and other countries have scaled back plans for development assistance and health funding for 2026, and U.S. support for polio efforts remains unclear. As a result, GPEI anticipates cutting its budget by 30% next year due to the global retreat in foreign aid.
Further Reading:
- “HHS Provides Doses of Investigational Vaccine, Therapeutic to Ethiopia to Address Current Outbreak of Marburg Virus,” ASPR
- “The fight to beat neglected tropical diseases was going well. 2025 could change that,” Jonathan Lambert, NPR
- “US and Kenya sign first of what are expected to be dozens of ‘America First’ global health deals,” Matthew Lee and Gerald Imray, AP News
- “Kenya signs landmark health deal with US despite data fears,” Wycliffe Muia, BBC
In Other News
US Science Governance
- “Trump has ‘shaken the hell’ out of the 80-year research pact between the government and universities. What now?” Megan Molteni, Anil Oza, and J. Emory Parker, StatNews
- “New NIH Policies Make It Easier to End Grants, Ignore Peer Review,” Kristina Flore, MedPage Today
- “American Science, Shattered,” StatNews
- “I Left the CDC 100 Days Ago. My Worst Fears About the Agency Are Coming True,” Debra Houry, Time
- “Pazdur’s Sudden Exit Leaves Just Three Veterans in FDA’s Senior Ranks,” Jef Akst, BioSpace
- “A Threat to Evidence-Based Vaccine Policy and Public Health Security at the FDA,” Califf et al., NEJM
NEW: 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.
NIH and its Partners to Co-Host a Second Regional Listening Session on Efforts to Modernize and Strengthen Biosafety Oversight
From ABSA International: “The NIH, the Carolinas Biosafety Safety Association, and the Southeastern Biological Safety Association will be co-hosting a virtual listening session to obtain input from stakeholders on NIH’s recently announced initiative to modernize and strengthen biosafety oversight.”
This event will take place virtually on December 17 from 1:00 – 3:00 PM ET. Learn more and register here.
Nexus Series: AIxBio: Workshop 2 – Strategies for Responding to Exponential AI and Biotechnology Growth
From AI for SynBio: “Background: The ever-increasing acceleration of agentic artificial intelligence (AI) and biological design tools has transformed the technological landscape, enabling tremendous benefits and potential misuse that could massively impact national security and public health. Mitigating this risk will require collaboration across Government, Industry, and Academia with both technical and policy focus. Significant effort has already been made to raise awareness of this challenge, but additional discussion is necessary to maintain pace with the speed of evolving technology. The second workshop in this series will build upon insights from our first workshop and take place over two days.”
This event will take place in Washington DC on March 10-11, 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.
African Atomic Voices Network (AAVN)
From AAVN: “The African Atomic Voices Network (AAVN) is a collaborative, career-development community for young professionals, students, and researchers from Africa (aged 18–35) who are working in, or passionate about, nuclear issues and related global security challenges such as artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, and chemical & biological security. The Network empowers African young professionals to shape global conversations and ensures that Africa’s voice is amplified in nuclear and broader global security discourse.”
Learn more and join the network here.
CNS Young Women in Nonproliferation Initiative
From the initiative: “Established in 2018, the CNS Young Women in Nonproliferation Initiative aims to encourage undergraduate women to consider careers in WMD nonproliferation, arms control, and disarmament. As part of this initiative, we offer a mentorship program that enables undergraduate women to work directly with leading experts in their areas of professional interest.”
Learn more and join the network here.
Cyberbiosecurity Quarterly Call for Papers
“We are pleased to announce the launch of Cyberbiosecurity Quarterly, a new academic and trade journal dedicated to the intersection of cybersecurity and the bioeconomy. Published by Kansas State University’s New Prairie Press and sponsored by the Bioeconomy Information Sharing and Analysis Center (BIO-ISAC), this quarterly journal will serve as an important resource for professionals, researchers, and policymakers working to safeguard digital and physical biological infrastructures. Cyberbiosecurity is an emerging discipline that addresses the protection of biomanufacturing, biomedical research, synthetic biology, digital agriculture, and other life sciences sectors from digital threats. This journal will explore topics at the nexus of cybersecurity, digital biosecurity, and the bioeconomy, including but not limited to:
- Best practices for network configuration and management in biomedical environments (ingress/egress protection, segmentation, isolation, access control, traffic protection, etc.)
- Cybersecurity Vendor Management and Assessment
- Cyber and Digital Biosecurity Education for the Bioeconomy’s Workforce
- The Quality-Cybersecurity Tension in Practice and Techniques for Mitigation
- Threat Intelligence for Cyber-Physical Biological Systems
- Regulatory and Policy Perspectives on Cyberbiosecurity
- Incident Response and Risk Mitigation in Biomanufacturing
- AI and Machine Learning in Digital and Cyber Biosecurity”
Learn more and submit your papers here.
Call for Presenters: International Bio Recovery Summit
The American Bio Recovery Association (ABRA) has opened its Call for Presenters for the 2026 International Bio Recovery Summit, taking place March 16-18 in Aberdeen, Maryland. As the industry’s leading event, the summit brings together bio-recovery professionals to address emerging challenges, regulatory updates, new technologies, and evolving safety standards in the field. ABRA invites experts to submit proposals aligned with conference objectives – including discussions on industry guidelines, insurance claims, hazardous substances, and business practices.
Learn more and submit your presentation by December 31 here.
64th ISODARCO Course
From ISODARCO: “In recent years, the global security landscape has become increasingly volatile, shaped by a convergence of geopolitical tensions, technological advancements, and evolving nuclear doctrines. The post-Cold War order that once provided a measure of predictability in global security has eroded. Conflicts such as the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific, and strategic competition between major powers have reshaped alliances and strategic postures.”
“At the same time, disruptive technologies including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, hypersonic missiles, and cyber threats – are adding new layers of complexity to both nuclear and conventional deterrence dynamics. These technologies are not only distorting the information landscape but also compressing decision-making timelines and complicating signaling mechanisms, increasing the risk of miscalculation.”
“Effectively managing nuclear escalation risks in this environment will require a combination of innovative diplomacy, technological safeguards, and renewed dialogue mechanisms to rebuild trust, reduce misperceptions, and stabilize strategic relations.”
“The ISODARCO 2026 Winter Course presents an invaluable opportunity for students and experts to discuss and examine these dynamics in depth and explore approaches to re-establishing strategic stability and reducing nuclear dangers in a volatile world.”
This course will take place January 11-18, 2026, in Andalo. Learn more and apply here.
The Pandora Report 