The U.S. Federal Office announced a review process for hazardous virus research.

The U.S. federal office unveiled a plan on January 9th to help U.S. agencies decide whether to fund controversial research that makes the virus more dangerous.
guidance could eventually end some of the experiments funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which have been suspended for more than two years.
policy by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) followed a May 2016 recommendation that an advisory board redefine the most dangerous experiments and figure out when they should be funded.
critics and supporters of the much-discussed research welcomed the policy, with some fearing that leaving the issue to Donald Trump's administration could lead to the de-edging of research.
but some said they would have reservations until they saw the results.
the new guidance does not set any timeline, HHS is trying to get the review process in place "as soon as possible," a spokesman for the agency said.
the agency, "any project that is considered appropriate can set appropriate risk mitigation measures and move forward."
" concerns about the so-called "accessibility function" (GOF) virus, which makes it easier for viruses to spread from person to person or cause illness and death, were ignited six years ago when two virologists said they had adjusted the H5N1 subtype of the deadly avian influenza A virus to make it easier to spread between mammals.
although the studies are intended to help experts prepare for plague outbreaks, some worry that they could lead to the outflow of deadly human-made viruses from the lab.
scientists have resumed H5N1 research after temporarily halting the study.
, more experimental papers on GOF and more accidents at U.S. pathogen laboratories led the U.S. government to impose a top-down suspension in October 2014.
HHS "suspended" funding for 18 GOF projects, including studies funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), influenza, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), severely sensitive respiratory syndrome virus, and more.
(some suspensions were subsequently lifted, but the NIH said seven flu studies and three MERS studies were still on hold.
) The new policy is in agreement with recommendations made by the National Advisory Council on Biosecurity Science (NSABB) last May, with only a few changes.
it covered the creation of a "potential pandemic pathogen" (PPPs) study, but did not use the NSABB team's term "concerned GOF research."
Agencies will determine whether a study application involves an "enhanced version" of the PPP by understanding whether pathogenic pathogens are highly contagious, can spread widely from person to person and are difficult to control, are highly lethal and can lead to serious illness and death.
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