Research, Innovation & Impact

Notice: DURC program paused

On May 5, 2025, the White House Executive Action on Biological Research directed federal agencies to end funding for “dangerous gain-of-function research” and develop a new oversight policy within 120 days. This type of research is defined in Section 8 of the order.

In response, the NIH released an updated notice on May 7, 2025, rescinding their previous DURC-PEPP policy implementation guidance. Other federal funding agencies have not yet published updated guidance.

MU will continue to monitor developments and update this webpage as new information becomes available.
 

What is the IBC doing to comply with the new order?

When principal investigators (PIs) submit grants, they will be faced with a new question related to “dangerous gain-of-function research” as defined by the new executive order. If they indicate that the proposed research falls under at least one of the experimental outcomes for “dangerous gain-of-function research,” they will be required to immediately contact MU Biosafety for a risk assessment. The PI and Biosafety will work together to identify the applicability of their research on “dangerous gain-of-function research.” If identified as “dangerous gain-of-function research,” the PI will be advised to not submit the grant in its current form without major revisions because NIH is not accepting any competitive applications for grants for this type of research as of May 7, 2025.
 
Note: The funding agency will not be approving any research deemed as “dangerous gain-of-function research.”

Questions related to oversight of your research?
Contact:  Steve Hynes at hyness@umsystem.edu or David Rehard at rehardd@umsystem.edu.
 

Dangerous gain-of-function research

“Dangerous gain-of-function research” means scientific research on an infectious agent or toxin with the potential to cause disease by enhancing its pathogenicity or increasing its transmissibility.

Covered research activities are those that:

a) Could result in significant societal consequences.

b) Seek or achieve one or more of the following outcomes:

• Enhancing the harmful consequences of the agent or toxin.
• Disrupting beneficial immunological response or the effectiveness of an immunization against the agent or toxin.
• Conferring to the agent or toxin resistance to clinically or agriculturally useful prophylactic or therapeutic interventions against that agent or toxin or facilitating their ability to evade detection methodologies.
• Increasing the stability, transmissibility, or the ability to disseminate the agent or toxin.
• Altering the host range or tropism of the agent or toxin.
• Enhancing the susceptibility of a human host population to the agent or toxin.
• Generating or reconstituting an eradicated or extinct agent or toxin.
   

What we do

The MU Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) is appointed by the Division of Research, Innovation & Impact to oversee the campus Biosafety Program. The IBC comprises the Recombinant or Nucleic Acid Molecule Research subcommittee and the Biosafety subcommittee.

We approve and oversee all research activities involving:

• Recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules.
• Human, animal and plant pathogens (bacteria, virus, yeast, fungus, blood, bodily fluids, tissues, cell lines, prions and parasitic agents, etc.) including growth, manipulation and/or other handling and use in vitro or in vivo.

Specific responsibilities of the committee:

• Review and recommend policies and guidelines that ensure biosafety procedures, equipment, facilities and training are appropriate for the biohazard risk.
• Perform an annual audit of the MU Biosafety Program.
• Review and approve all use of rDNA or Biosafety Level 2 or 3 materials prior to work being conducted.
• Review the Environmental Health and Safety monitoring of Permitted Individuals and assist in resolving problems.
• Provide a campus forum for addressing issues involving biohazardous materials.

This process provides guidelines that ensure appropriate biosafety procedures, equipment, facilities and training are adequate in conjunction with the biohazard risk.

Committee chair – Michael Calcutt, professor of veterinary pathobiology, molecular microbiology and immunology
Biosafety officer – David Rehard, Environmental Health and Safety office
IBC contact – Anna Hamilton, senior compliance manager, Division of Research, Innovation and Impact

Contact us at IBC@missouri.edu.
 

IBC meetings

Meeting dates are the third Thursday of the month; protocol submission deadlines are one month before each meeting date. 

Meetings are held via Zoom and start promptly at 2 pm unless otherwise noted.

** Protocol submission cutoff dates are to assure adequate time for committee review.