The National Academies

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The National Academies Board on Life Sciences

• Dr. Frances Sharples
• Director
• National Research Council

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BLS Mission

• Serve as the National Academies' focal point for
  a wide range of technical and policy topics in
  the life sciences
• Organize and oversee studies that provide advice
  to government and the scientific community on the
  biological sciences and their impact on society
• Maintain expertise in and understanding of the
  full spectrum of life science disciplines to be
  able to deal with issues of both basic science
  (e.g., knowledge gaps, research priorities,
  needed investments) and the higher level policy
  concerns that flow from or build on the basic
  science

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BLS REPORTS FALL INTO A NUMBER OF GENERAL
CATEGORIES

• Biological and Biomedical Research
• Genomics
• Biosafety, Biosecurity, and Biological Forensics
• Ecology, Evolution, Biodiversity, Environmental
  Research
• Biology Education and Workforce

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Many of Our Reports on Biomedical Research Have
Had Substantive Impacts

• Enhancing the Vitality of the National Institutes
  of Health Organizational Change to Meet New
  Challenges (2003)
• Guidelines for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research
  (2005)
• Bridges to Independence Fostering the
  Independence of New Investigators in Biomedical
  Research (2005)
• A New Biology for the 21st Century (2009)
• Toward Precision Medicine Building a Knowledge
  Network for Biomedical Research and a New
  Taxonomy of Disease (2011)

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Building a Biomedical Knowledge Network

• The Board on Life Sciences and the Board on
  Research Data and Information (BRDI) will
  undertake a consensus study on Building a
  Biomedicine Knowledge Network. The study would be
  done pursuant to the following task statement 1.
  Define information commons, knowledge network,
  and other key related terms as used in biomedical
  and other scientific research. Provide different
  examples in the public and private sectors and in
  partnerships. When and where have these
  approaches been useful in biomedicine or in other
  areas of research? 2. Identify and consider the
  factors in determining the benefits and drawbacks
  of each of the types of approaches identified in
  1, above, including the timescales to achieving
  core functionalities, the scale and scope of the
  approaches, the institutional models, the legal
  mechanisms, the overall sustainability of the
  approaches, and an assessment of the ability to
  provide optimal benefits rapidly to patients,
  while respecting privacy and proprietary
  concerns. 3. Based on the foregoing tasks,
  develop consensus conclusions and recommendations
  for approaches aimed at building biomedical
  information commons and knowledge network. The
  report would be published 18 months from receipt
  of funding for the study.

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Technologies for Identifying Biological Species
for the Enforcement of US Laws and Regulations

• An ad hoc committee of experts appointed by the
  National Research Council (NRC) will conduct the
  proposed study according the following Statement
  of Task (SOT)
•  Investigate new scientific methods and
  technologies based on DNA identification of
  animals and plants that would increase accuracy,
  reduce mislabeling, and simplify identification
  processes and procedures
• Develop possible options for DNA identification
  and other technologies that would reduce the
  time for accurate identification to reach
  scientific and enforcement decisions
• Determine the current legal jurisdictions of
  appropriate federal agencies and investigate the
  potential for using DNA identification
  technologies to achieve greater compliance with
  applicable U.S. laws and regulations and
• Evaluate the economics of current identification
  methods.
• Investigate the potential for using DNA
  identification technologies to reduce costs of
  regulatory enforcement and of damages from
  introduced diseases, invasive pests, and other
  socioeconomic impacts.
• The committee will produce a consensus report
  with findings and possible recommendations,
  taking into consideration the various stakeholder
  groups interested in the benefits listed above.

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More information on BLS can be found on its
website

• http//dels.nas.edu/bls