New Botulinum Toxin: Scientists choose NOT to publish.
It seems to be the first time that scientists THEMSELVES choose not to publish their work for biosecurity reasons.
A first sign that responsible stewardship discourse in Life Science is taking roots?
Why Scientists Held Back Details On A Unique Botulinum Toxin
Excerpts:
The new form of the toxin was discovered by Jason Barash and Stephen Arnon at the California Department of Public Health. […]
But in the newly reported case, they found a completely unexpected toxin—one that cannot be neutralized by any of the currently available anti-botulinum antiserums.[…]
An editorial accompanying the report notes that the scientists consulted with numerous officials from government agencies such as the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“It would seem that this process, or this consultation, was entirely an internal, within-the-government kind of consultation,” says Relman.
[NSABB], which played an important role in the recent debate whether to publish controversial research on bird flu, apparently wasn’t consulted this time around. “None of us had heard of this work until I was sent it,” says Relman.
And a french article