Biodefence on the research agenda

摘要

The vulnerability of the United States and the rest of the world to attacks of bioterrorism remains starkly exposed by the as-yet unsolved anthrax attacks immediately following the horror of the 11 September 2001 terrorist assault on the World Trade Center. We have invested many resources to control or eradicate pathogenic microbes that, as these events show, cannot now be ignored. It is the responsibility of the biomedical community to undertake research on defence against biological agents with energy, creativity and commitment. The world expects nothing less from us. The US government is investing an unprecedented amount of money ― $5.9 billion planned for fiscal year 2003 ― to counter the threat of bioterrorism. Of that sum, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the lead government agency in bio-medical research, will receive nearly $1.75 billion, almost eight times the fiscal year 2002 budget for biodefence research, and the largest single increase in resources for any initiative in the history of the NIH. With this largesse come enormous responsibilities.