(Nature) – After more than four years of deliberations, US officials have released a policy that outlines how federal funding agencies and research institutions must review and oversee biological experiments that could potentially be misused or spark a pandemic.

The policy, which will apply to all research funded by US agencies and take effect in May 2025, broadens oversight of these experiments. The policy singles out work involving high-risk pathogens for special oversight and streamlines existing policies and guidelines, adding clarity that researchers have been seeking for years. (Read More)