[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 163 (Monday, August 24, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 51289]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-20815]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Office of the Director, Office of Science Policy, Office of 
Biotechnology Activities; Notice of Meeting

    Pursuant to section 10(a) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as 
amended (5 U.S.C. App.), notice is hereby given of the meeting of the 
National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB).

    Name of Committee: National Science Advisory Board for 
Biosecurity.
    Date: September 28, 2015.
    Time: 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Eastern.
    Agenda: Presentations and discussions regarding: (1) NSABB 
deliberations towards the development of draft recommendations on a 
conceptual approach to the evaluation of proposed gain-of-function 
(GOF) studies involving pathogens with pandemic potential; (2) 
progress report on the conduct of risk and benefit assessments of 
GOF studies; (3) ethical, legal, and policy issues relevant to the 
conduct and oversight of GOF studies; and (4) other business of the 
Board.
    Place: National Institutes of Health, Building 31, 6th Floor, C 
Wing, Conference Room 6, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland 
20892.
    Contact Person: Carolyn Mosby, NSABB Program Assistant, NIH 
Office of Biotechnology Activities, 6705 Rockledge Drive, Suite 750, 
Bethesda, Maryland 20892, (301) 435-5504, [email protected].

    Under authority 42 U.S.C. 217a, Section 222 of the Public Health 
Service Act, as amended, the Department of Health and Human Services 
established the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) 
to provide advice regarding federal oversight of dual use research--
defined as legitimate biological research that generates information 
and technologies that could be misused to pose a biological threat to 
public health and/or national security. The NSABB is currently charged 
with providing formal recommendations to the United States Government 
on a conceptual approach to the evaluation of proposed gain-of-function 
studies.
    The meeting will be open to the public and will also be webcast as 
space will be limited. Persons planning to attend or view via the 
webcast may pre-register online using the link provided below or by 
calling Palladian Partners, Inc. (Contact: Maegen Currie at 301-650-
8660). Online and telephone registration will close at 12:00 p.m. 
Eastern on September 25, 2015. After that time, attendees may register 
onsite on the day of the meeting. Individuals who plan to attend and 
need special assistance, such as sign language interpretation or other 
reasonable accommodations, should indicate these requirements upon 
registration on or prior to September 25.
    Please Note: The meeting agenda and links to the online 
registration and webcast will be available at: http://osp.od.nih.gov/office-biotechnology-activities/biosecurity/nsabb/nsabb-meetings-and-conferences. Please check this Web site for updates.
    Public Comments: Time will be allotted on the agenda for oral 
public comments. Any member of the public interested in presenting 
comments relevant to the mission of the NSABB should indicate so upon 
registration. Sign-up for oral comments will be limited to one per 
person or organization representative per comment period, with 
individual presentations time-limited to facilitate broad input from 
multiple speakers. In the event that time does not allow for all 
attendees interested in presenting oral comments to do so at the 
meeting, any interested person may file written comments with the Board 
via an email sent to [email protected] or by regular mail sent to the 
Contact Person listed on this notice. In addition, any interested 
person may submit written comments to the NSABB at any time via either 
of these methods. Written statements should include the name, address, 
telephone number and when applicable, the professional affiliation of 
the interested person. Comments received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern on 
September 22, 2015 will be relayed to the Board prior to the NSABB 
meeting. Any written comments received after the deadline will be 
provided to the Board either before or after the meeting, depending on 
the volume of comments received and the time required to process them 
in accordance with privacy regulations and other applicable Federal 
policies.
    Please Note: In the interest of security, NIH has instituted 
stringent procedures for entrance onto the NIH campus. All visitor 
vehicles, including taxis, hotel, and airport shuttles will be 
inspected before being allowed on campus. Visitors will be asked to 
show one form of identification (for example, a government-issued photo 
ID, driver's license, or passport) and to state the purpose of their 
visit. Please visit the NIH Visitor Security page for important 
security and campus access information.

    Dated: August 18, 2015.
David Clary,
Program Analyst, Office of Federal Advisory Committee Policy.
[FR Doc. 2015-20815 Filed 8-21-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P