[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 21 (Wednesday, January 31, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8421-8422]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-2669]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Notice of Meeting: Secretary's Advisory Committee on 
Xenotransplantation

    Pursuant to Public Law 92-463, notice is hereby given of the first 
meeting of the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Xenotransplantation 
(SACX), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The meeting 
will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on February 20-21, 2001, at the 
DoubleTree Rockville Hotel, 1750 Rockville Pike, MD 20852. The meeting 
will be open to the public; however, seating is limited and pre-
registration is encouraged (see below). The first SACX meeting will be 
primarily for orientation and organizational purposes. There will also 
be a limited period of time provided for public comment; interested 
individuals should contact the SACX Executive Director (see below).

[[Page 8422]]

    Under authority of 42 U.S.C. 217a, section 222 of the Public Health 
Service Act, as amended, the DHHS established the SACX to advise and 
make recommendations to the Secretary, through the Assistant Secretary 
for Health, on all aspects of the scientific development and clinical 
application of xenotransplantation. The SACX is directed to advise DHHS 
on the current state of knowledge regarding xenotransplantation; 
identify and discuss the medical, public health, scientific, ethical, 
legal and/or socioeconomic issues raised by xenotransplantation 
clinical research; advise DHHS on the potential for transmission of 
infectious diseases as a consequence of xenotransplantation; recommend, 
as needed, changes to the PHS Guideline on Infectious Disease Issues in 
Xenotransplantation; and discuss additional issues, including 
international policies and developments, that are relevant to 
xenotransplantation.
    The SACX is composed of 18 voting, non-governmental experts in 
relevant medical, scientific, and professional fields such as 
xenotransplantation, epidemiology, virology, microbiology, infectious 
diseases, molecular biology, veterinary medicine, immunology, 
transplantation surgery, public health, applicable law, bioethics, 
social sciences, psychology, patient advocacy, and animal welfare. Of 
the appointed members, at least one is a current member of the Food and 
Drug Administration (FDA) Biologic Response Modifiers Advisory 
Committee and of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 
Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee. The SACX 
also includes non-voting, ex officio members from relevant DHHS 
components, including the Office of the Secretary, CDC, FDA, Health 
Resources and Services Administration, and the National Institutes of 
Health.
    The draft meeting agenda and roster will be available at http://www4.od.nih.gov/oba/Sacx.htm in February. For pre-registration, please 
contact Technical Resources International (Sharon Leeney) at 301-564-
6400. Individuals who wish to provide public comments or who plan to 
attend the meeting and need special assistance, such as sign language 
interpretation or other reasonable accommodations, should notify the 
SACX Executive Director, Dr. Mary Groesch, by telephone at 301-496-0785 
or email at [email protected]. The SACX office is located at 6750 
Rockledge Drive, Suite 750, MSC 7985, Bethesda, MD 20892-7985.

    Dated: January 19, 2001.
LaVerne Y. Stringfield,
Director, Office of Federal Advisory Committee Policy.
[FR Doc. 01-2669 Filed 1-30-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-M