Washington

Researchers are voicing concern that a government initiative, designed to help biologists ensure that their work isn't misused by bioterrorists, isn't getting off the ground.

Nine months after the US government said it would create a powerful committee to advise it on issues related to bioterrorism, the committee hasn't been appointed, never mind held a meeting.

It was 4 March when Tommy Thompson, then health secretary, announced the creation of the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB). It was expected to advise the government on tough questions about overseeing ‘dual-use’ research, which could have civilian or military uses, and to write a code of conduct for scientists.

But the board hasn't appointed either members or support staff, alarming senior scientists who lauded its creation. “This is an important initiative, and it needs to move forward,” says Ronald Atlas, co-director of the Center for Deterrence of Biowarfare and Bioterrorism at the University of Louisville in Kentucky and former president of the American Society for Microbiology. “Without the NSABB, the scientific community remains in limbo and guessing about what steps will be constructive as we try to prevent the misuse” of science, he adds.

Officials at the National Institutes of Health are coordinating the formation of the board. “We are close to making an announcement,” says Bill Hall, a spokesman for the health department. “It's not going to be Monday, but it's not going to be six months from now.”

Some biosecurity specialists worry that if the board isn't up and running soon, the government could bypass it and take extreme steps to regulate some types of dual-use biology. They also think the board is needed now to help oversee the massive biodefence research programmes set up by the United States since the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001.

“There are so many expectations heaped on this board that they probably never would have met them,” says one biosecurity specialist. “But it's hard to meet them if you don't even convene.”