Mosquito-borne diseases: Assessing risk and strategies to control their spread in the Middle East
March 2024
Mosquito-borne diseases (MBDs), like malaria and mosquito-borne viruses (MBVs), have caused the deaths of millions of people. Their threat resides in the variety of transmission modes that they possess,...
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Optimization of cryopreservation of pathogenic microbial strains
December 2020
The preservation of pathogenic microbial strains is of great significance for basic research in microbiology and utilization of microbial resources. Appropriate preservation methods can maintain high...
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Development and assessment of cutting-edge biotechnologies
March 2024
The emergence of advanced biotechnologies has intensified in recent years. The rapid development of these biotechnologies has had a wide and profound impact globally, with the majority on the frontier...
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Biosafety and biosecurity in the era of biotechnology: The Middle East region
December 2022
Biotechnology became a paradigm-shifting science among all subfields of biology. The benefits of biotechnology have reached many practical fields, whether human health, animal, and/or agricultural....
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Synthetic biology: Recent progress, biosafety and biosecurity concerns, and possible solutions
March 2019
Synthetic biology is a new interdisciplinary research area that uses engineering principles as guidelines for biological investigation. With research goals to modify existing biological systems or to...
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Regulation of toxins and bioregulators under the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention
June 2024
In this paper we highlight how the apparent double coverage of toxins and bioregulators by both the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) and the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in fact masks...
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Biosafety and biosecurity
March 2019
With the profound changes in the international security situation, the progression of globalization, and the continuous advancement of biotechnology, the risks and challenges posed by major infectious...
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Rethinking biosecurity in the 21st century: An enhanced role for civil society
September 2023
In this paper, we briefly discuss the historical issues concerning the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) and analyse the current situation after the COVID-19 pandemic with emphasis on the...
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COVID’s future: Viral multi-lineage evolution and the dynamics of small epidemic waves without seasonality in COVID-19
September 2023
Since its emergence, SARS-CoV-2 virus, the causative agent of COVID-19, has undergone over three years of evolutionary changes. Throughout this evolutionary process, multiple variants, such as Alpha,...
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A brief history of the development of infectious disease prevention, control, and biosafety programs in China
March 2020
Safety of human beings has always been threatened by infectious diseases. In the process of fighting them, humans have continuously explored and researched the pathogens, transmission routes, prevention,...
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Human genome editing after the “CRISPR babies”: The double-pacing problem and collaborative governance
March 2023
How to ensure the safe, effective, and ethical use of emerging biotechnologies, such as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-based genome editing, is a global challenge....
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Comparison of the binding energies of approved mpox drugs and phytochemicals through molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation, and ADMET studies: An in silico approach
September 2023
•The binding affinity of Tecovirimat, Brincidofovir, Cidofovir against the mpox protein was examined in silico through molecular docking.•The binding affinity of such drugs/mAbs was compared with the...
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Challenges and recent progress in the governance of biosecurity risks in the era of synthetic biology
June 2022
Considerable progress has been achieved in basic research and the biotechnological application of biological sciences in recent years. Synthetic biology integrates systems biology, engineering, computer...
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Ethical framework on risk governance of synthetic biology
June 2023
Synthetic biology is an emerging multidisciplinary field that aims to design and construct new biological systems not found in nature. Whereas synthetic biology may yield tremendous benefits, it may...
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Structure-based discovery of F. religiosa phytochemicals as potential inhibitors against Monkeypox (mpox) viral protein
September 2024
•The interaction of the A42R profilin-like protein with six phytochemicals found in an medicinal plant Ficus religiosa was studied.•Protein-ligand binding energies, IC50 values, ADMET characteristics,...
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Laboratory information management system for biosafety laboratory: Safety and efficiency
June 2021
Laboratory information management system (LIMS) has been widely used to facilitate laboratory activities. However, the current LIMSs do not contain functions to improve the safety of laboratory work,...
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Evolutionary analysis of Omicron variant BF.7 and BA.5.2 pandemic in China
March 2023
On December 7, 2022, China adjusted public health control measures, there have been widespread of SARS-CoV-2 infections in Chinese mainland. As the number of infected people increased, the mutation...
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Water sanitation and hygiene in Sub-Saharan Africa: Coverage, risks of diarrheal diseases, and urbanization
June 2021
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has a rapidly growing urban population, with water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services representing the central needs for this population. Incidentally, this region has...
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Biosafety laboratory risk assessment
September 2019
Biosafety laboratory risk assessment is a dynamic and systematic work. The scope of the assessment involves evaluation of pathogenic microbial hazards, experimental activities, facilities and equipment,...
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A review of the risk of cholera outbreaks and urbanization in sub-Saharan Africa
December 2020
The sub-Saharan region of Africa is rapidly urbanizing, that has consequently spurred the development of specific challenges in terms of access to basic services and sanitation. Thus, exposure to waterborne...
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Overview and prospects of food biosafety
December 2022
Biosafety issues have become a major threat to the health of humans, animals, and ecosystems worldwide. As problems with food production and the food supply chain have become of greater concern to consumers,...
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Recurrent West Nile virus outbreak in the United States in 2022: Current challenges and recommendations
December 2023
West Nile virus (WNV) has afflicted various countries around the world, affecting not only humans but also non-human animals, such as horses and birds. WNV is an arbovirus that is transmitted to humans...
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Applications of the One Health concept: Current status in the Middle East
March 2023
•The concept of One Health is one of the most important topics of modern health that the world seeks to apply.•Manitaining and enhancing human, plant, and animal health from the aspect of One Health.•The...
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High-containment facilities and the role they play in global health security
June 2022
Biological threats, whether naturally occurring or accidentally or deliberately released, have the potential to endanger lives and disrupt economies worldwide. Thus, high-containment protective measures...
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Lessons for biosecurity education from the International Nuclear Security Education Network
December 2024
With the rapid advances in technology and life science, biological security is now at a defining moment. The mandate of the 2022 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention 9th Review Conference emphasised...
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