Biosafety and Biosecurity Approaches to Counter SARS-CoV-2: From Detection to Best Practices and Risk Assessments Volume 2

  • 3,524

    Total Downloads

  • 23k

    Total Views and Downloads

Submit your idea

You will be redirected to our submission process.

Submit your manuscript summarySubmit your manuscript

About this Research Topic

Submission closed

Background

This is the second volume of the Research Topic Biosafety and Biosecurity Approaches to Counter SARS-CoV-2: From Detection to Best Practices and Risk Assessments. The first issue can be found here.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the cause of Coronavirus Disease 19, commonly referred to as COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 was discovered in 2019 and is currently responsible for a global pandemic that resulted in more than 7,193,438 cases worldwide and 408,613 deaths by June 2020. The large number of asymptomatic cases hides the true number of infected individuals and probably results in an overestimation of the case fatality rate of 5.68%. However, many deaths due to SARS-CoV-2 have also gone unreported.

Much of the research to date has centred on the origin of SARS-CoV-2, its pathogenesis, and vaccines and diagnostics for the prevention and detection of COVID-19, respectively. Surface expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) protein, the receptor for SARS CoV 2 has been observed on lung alveolar epithelial cells and enterocytes of the small intestine. ACE2 is also present on arterial and venous endothelial cells and arterial smooth muscle cells in the oral and nasal mucosa, nasopharynx, lung, stomach, small intestine, colon, skin, lymph nodes, thymus, bone marrow, spleen, liver, kidney, and brain which may explain the ability of COVID-19 to infect multiple organs in the body and not remain localized to the respiratory tract. Severe illness associated with COVID 19 has been observed in individuals with comorbidities such as hypertension, heart disease, active cancer in the past five years, chronic kidney disease, atrial fibrillation, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a history of stroke, or chronic liver disease. Individuals who are older than 65 years of age, individuals who are pregnant, and individuals who are immunocompromised or immunosuppressed (e.g., HIV infection) are also at risk for severe disease. SARS CoV2 is widely distributed and readily available in many clinical and research laboratories across the world at the current time.

This begs the question as to what the potential biosafety and biosecurity implications are for laboratories working with viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 to ensure that we do not reintroduce the virus at a later time given the fact that many members of the population are still very vulnerable to this disease. Although we have learned a lot over the past several months about SARS-CoV-2, a lot of unknowns remain. In order to be able to conduct a proper risk assessment or to better support laboratory practices, preparedness and response to COVID-19, additional guidelines, policies and procedures are needed. The goal of this effort will be to identify and share best laboratory safety and security practices from lessons learned from the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Biosafety and biosecurity serve as the cornerstone for the laboratory containment of highly transmissible and pathogenic microorganisms to protect public health by preventing the next outbreak, epidemic or pandemic through natural, inadvertent or intentional introduction. The editors are requesting manuscripts that address the following and other related topics:

a. What do we know about SARS-CoV2 and how can it be used to conduct a proper risk assessment prior to initiating laboratory research on SARS-CoV-2?
b. What are the best safety and security practices for working with SARS-CoV-2 (and other emerging viruses) and bats in laboratories?
c. What do we not know about SARS-CoV-2 to guide future research activities to better support risk assessments?
d. What should be the guidance for working in a laboratory or vivarium during the COVID-19 pandemic?
e. What should be the guidance for generating recombinant (mutant) SARS-CoV-2 and their use in animal studies?
f. The importance of the Institutional BioSafety Committee and how it should be structured to provide the best benefit.
g. What are the challenges faced by laboratories during the COVID-19 pandemic and how to overcome them?
h. Guidelines for validating molecular, serological and antibody-based tests used to identify COVID-19 infection and to minimize lack of sensitivity or specificity during a pandemic response.
i. How can the lessons learned be applied in developing as well as developed countries? What is the current situation and COVID-19 molecular epidemiology in developing countries?
j. What types of surveillance systems are required for the future?
k. What are the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic (or any pandemic) for the security of nations?
l. How does the COVID-19 pandemic compare with other pandemics (e.g., HIV, SARS, Spanish Flu, H1N1, etc.) with respect to national security and economic impact?

The type of manuscripts may be a review, original research, method, or commentary.



Prof. Morse and Dr Pillai hold patents on the uses of Gonorrhea for detection and vaccines, the Bocavirus vector, the uses of porcine viruses for vaccines and diagnosis, and antimicrobial resistance respectively. The Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regards to the Research Topic theme.

Keywords: COVID-19, Pandemic, Biosafety, Biosecurity, Risk Assessment, Laboratory Practice

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

Topic editors

Frequently asked questions

  • Frontiers' Research Topics are collaborative hubs built around an emerging theme.Defined, managed, and led by renowned researchers, they bring communities together around a shared area of interest to stimulate collaboration and innovation.

    Unlike section journals, which serve established specialty communities, Research Topics are pioneer hubs, responding to the evolving scientific landscape and catering to new communities.

  • The goal of Frontiers' publishing program is to empower research communities to actively steer the course of scientific publishing. Our program was implemented as a three-part unit with fixed field journals, flexible specialty sections, and dynamically emerging Research Topics, connecting communities of different sizes and maturity.

    Research Topics originate from the scientific community. Many of our Research Topics are suggested by existing editorial board members who have identified critical challenges or areas of interest in their field.

  • As an editor, Research Topics will help you build your journal, as well as your community, around emerging, cutting-edge research. As research trailblazers, Research Topics attract high-quality submissions from leading experts all over the world.

    A thriving Research Topic can potentially evolve into a new specialty section if there is sustained interest and a growing community around it.

  • Each Research Topic must be approved by the specialty chief editor, and they fall under the editorial oversight of our editorial boards, supported by our in-house research integrity team. The same standards and rigorous peer review processes apply to articles published as part of a Research Topic as for any other article we publish.

      In 2023, 80% of the Research Topics we published were edited or co-edited by our editorial board members, who are already familiar with their journal's scope, ethos, and publishing model. All other topics are guest edited by leaders in their field, each vetted and formally approved by the specialty chief editor.

  • Publishing your article within a Research Topic with other related articles increases its discoverability and visibility, which can lead to more views, downloads, and citations. Research Topics grow dynamically as more published articles are added, causing frequent revisiting, and further visibility.

    As Research Topics are multidisciplinary, they are cross-listed in several fields and section journals – increasing your reach even more and giving you the chance to expand your network and collaborate with researchers in different fields, all focusing on expanding knowledge around the same important topic.

    Our larger Research Topics are also converted into ebooks and receive social media promotion from our digital marketing team.

     

  • Frontiers offers multiple article types, but it will depend on the field and section journals in which the Research Topic will be featured. The available article types for a Research Topic will appear in the drop-down menu during the submission process.

    Check available article types here 

  • Yes, we would love to hear your ideas for a topic. Most of our Research Topics are community-led and suggested by researchers in the field. Our in-house editorial team will contact you to talk about your idea and whether you’d like to edit the topic. If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. 

    Suggest your topic here 

  • A team of guest editors (called topic editors) lead their Research Topic. This editorial team oversees the entire process, from the initial topic proposal to calls for participation, the peer review, and final publications.

    The team may also include topic coordinators, who help the topic editors send calls for participation, liaise with topic editors on abstracts, and support contributing authors. In some cases, they can also be assigned as reviewers.

  • As a topic editor (TE), you will take the lead on all editorial decisions for the Research Topic, starting with defining its scope. This allows you to curate research around a topic that interests you, bring together different perspectives from leading researchers across different fields and shape the future of your field. 

     

    You will choose your team of co-editors, curate a list of potential authors, send calls for participation and oversee the peer review process, accepting or recommending rejection for each manuscript submitted.

  • As a topic editor, you're supported at every stage by our in-house team. You will be assigned a single point of contact to help you on both editorial and technical matters. Your topic is managed through our user-friendly online platform, and the peer review process is supported by our industry-first AI review assistant (AIRA).

  • If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. This provides you with valuable editorial experience, improving your ability to critically evaluate research articles and enhancing your understanding of the quality standards and requirements for scientific publishing, as well as the opportunity to discover new research in your field, and expand your professional network.

  • Yes, certificates can be issued on request. We are happy to provide a certificate for your contribution to editing a successful Research Topic.

  • Research Topics thrive on collaboration and their multi-disciplinary approach around emerging, cutting-edge themes, attract leading researchers from all over the world.

  • As a topic editor, you can set the timeline for your Research Topic, and we will work with you at your pace. Typically, Research Topics are online and open for submissions within a few weeks and remain open for participation for 6 – 12 months. Individual articles within a Research Topic are published as soon as they are ready.

    Find out more about our Research Topics

  • Our fee support program ensures that all articles that pass peer review, including those published in Research Topics, can benefit from open access – regardless of the author's field or funding situation.

    Authors and institutions with insufficient funding can apply for a discount on their publishing fees. A fee support application form is available on our website.

  • In line with our mission to promote healthy lives on a healthy planet, we do not provide printed materials. All our articles and ebooks are available under a CC-BY license, so you can share and print copies.

     

Impact

  • 23kTopic views
  • 19kArticle views
  • 3,524Article downloads
View impact