[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 208 (Thursday, October 28, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66378-66379]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-27233]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Public Meeting of the Presidential Commission for the Study of 
Bioethical Issues

AGENCY: Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the 
Assistant Secretary for Health, The Presidential Commission for the 
Study of Bioethical Issues.

ACTION: Notice of Meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues 
(PCSBI) will conduct its third meeting in November. At this meeting, 
the Commission will continue discussing the emerging science of 
synthetic biology, including its potential benefits and risks, and 
appropriate ethical boundaries and principles. The Commission will 
develop and finalize recommendations concerning any actions that the 
Federal Government should take to ensure that America reaps the 
benefits of this developing field of science while identifying 
appropriate ethical boundaries and minimizing risks. It will also 
identify suggestions for future study, if any.

DATES: The meeting will take place Tuesday, November 16, 2010, from 
10:30 a.m. to approximately 4:15 p.m., and Wednesday, November 17, 
2010, from 9 a.m. to approximately 11:30 a.m.

ADDRESSES: Emory Conference Center Hotel, 1615 Clifton Road, Atlanta, 
GA 30329. Phone 404-712-6000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Judy Crawford, The Presidential 
Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, 1425 New York Avenue, 
NW., Suite C-100, Washington, DC 20005. Telephone: 202/233-3960. E-
mail: [email protected]. Additional information may be 
obtained by viewing the Web site: http://www.bioethics.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee 
Act, Public Law 92-463, as amended 5 U.S.C. App., notice is hereby 
given of the third meeting of the PCSBI. The meeting will be held from 
10:30 a.m. to approximately 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday, November 16, 2010, 
and from 9 a.m. to approximately 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, November 17, 
2010, at the Emory Conference Center Hotel, Atlanta, GA. The meeting 
will be open to the public with attendance limited to space available. 
The meeting will also be Web cast at http://www.bioethics.gov.
    Under authority of Executive Order 13521, dated November 24, 2009, 
the President established the PCSBI to serve as a public forum and 
advise him on bioethical issues generated by novel and emerging 
research in biomedicine and related areas of science and technology. 
The Commission is charged to identify and promote policies and 
practices that assure ethically responsible conduct of scientific 
research, healthcare delivery, and technological innovation. In 
undertaking these duties, the Commission will examine specific 
bioethical, legal, and social issues related to potential scientific 
and technological advances; examine diverse perspectives and explore 
possibilities for useful international collaboration on these issues, 
and recommend legal, regulatory, or policy actions as appropriate. The 
main agenda items for this third meeting involve further discussion of 
the opportunities and benefits to the public of the

[[Page 66379]]

emerging science of synthetic biology, the challenges and risks, and 
the ethical boundaries that may be important to formulation of public 
policy with regard to this advancing science. The Commission also will 
develop and finalize recommendations concerning any actions that the 
Federal Government should take to ensure that America reaps the 
benefits of this developing field of science while identifying 
appropriate ethical boundaries and minimizing risks. It will also 
identify suggestions for future study, if any. The draft meeting agenda 
and other information about PCSBI, including information about access 
to the Web cast, will be available at http://www.bioethics.gov.
    The Commission welcomes input from anyone wishing to provide public 
comment on any issue before it. Individuals who would like to provide 
public comment at the meeting should notify Judy Crawford by telephone 
at 202-233-3960, or e-mail at [email protected]. Anyone 
planning to attend the meeting who needs special assistance, such as 
sign language interpretation or other reasonable accommodations, should 
also notify Judy Crawford in advance of the meeting. The Commission 
will make every effort to accommodate persons who need special 
assistance.
    Written comments will also be accepted. Please address written 
comments by e-mail to [email protected], or by mail to the following 
address: Public Commentary, The Presidential Commission for the Study 
of Bioethical Issues, 1425 New York Ave. NW., Suite C-100, Washington, 
DC 20005. Comments will be publicly available, including any personally 
identifiable or confidential business information that they contain. 
Trade secrets should not be submitted.

    Dated: October 22, 2010.
Valerie H. Bonham,
Executive Director, The Presidential Commission for the Study of 
Bioethical Issues.
[FR Doc. 2010-27233 Filed 10-27-10; 8:45 am]
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