Vaccines keep the U.S. public healthy while safeguarding economic stability and biosecurity. This report assesses the domestic vaccine manufacturing landscape and identifies two major vulnerabilities: a reliance on foreign manufacturers and a lack of manufacturing redundancy. Maintaining a resilient vaccine supply will require the U.S. government to take steps to protect the existing supply, identify and monitor manufacturing vulnerabilities, and create a stronger domestic production base.

Pandemic threats are increasing as globalization, urbanization, and encroachment on animal habitats cause infectious outbreaks to become more frequent and severe. It is imperative that the United States build a pipeline of medical countermeasure development, beginning with basic scientific research and culminating in approved therapies. This report assesses preparedness for families of viral pathogens of pandemic potential and offers recommendations for steps the U.S. government can take to prepare for future pandemics.

CSET Director of Biotechnology Programs and Senior Fellow Anna Puglisi provided insights into China's illicit efforts to acquire genetic data from the United States in Politico's Morning Cybersecurity. She pointed out that such data will serve a wide variety of interests, from health care to agriculture. “It’s enablers like sequencing and other tools of discovery that are going to drive the bioeconomy, that are going to drive precision medicine,” she said. “The more data you have, the more you can start to understand what genes do.”

CSET hosted a discussion with Dr. Amesh Adalja, Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, on the importance of understanding the breadth and depth of global biological activity in preparing for future pandemics.

CSET's Anna Puglisi expresses her concerns over Chinese genome sequencing company BGI Group entering the U.S. sequencing market.

Stephanie Batalis is a Research Fellow focused on biotechnology.

Vikram Venkatram is a Research Analyst focused on emerging issues in biotechnology.

China is banking on applying AI to biotechnology research in order to transform itself into a “biotech superpower.” In pursuit of that goal, it has emphasized bringing together different aspects of the development cycle to foster multidisciplinary research. This data brief examines the emerging trend of co-location of AI and biotechnology researchers and explores the potential impact it will have on this growing field.

CSET Research Fellow Caroline Schuerger testified before the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense hearing on "The Biological Threat Expanse" Current and Future Challenges to National Biodefense." She discussed threats to the bioeconomy and steps the U.S. and its allies can take to harness biotechnology's capabilities and raise awareness of risky research.

CSET's Anna Puglisi discusses the future of biotechnology in Titus Talks.