Risk-based approach to biosafety

In biosafety and biosecurity, the recent risk-based approach departs from a rigid one-size-fits-all model. Tailoring safety measures to pathogen and activity levels enhances flexibility, which is vital in resource-limited settings. Systematic reporting of lab incidents globally is lacking, hindering transparency and root cause analysis. Most accidents result from human or procedural errors, highlighting the need for investment in personnel training.

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Stuart Blacksell is Professor of Tropical Microbiology at the University of Oxford and has been based at the Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU) in Thailand since 2001. He has been actively engaged in research across Southeast Asia since 1989. He also holds appointments as Visiting Professor at the Open University (UK) and Mahidol University, and as Honorary Professor at the University of Sydney. Prior to joining Oxford, Stuart worked at the Australian Animal Health Laboratory (now the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness) from 1983 to 2001.

 At MORU, Stuart leads the Biorisk and Zoonosis Group, with a focus on One Health and high-consequence veterinary pathogens in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. He and his team are responsible for implementing and enforcing the University of Oxford’s health and safety and biosafety regulations across the MORU network, as well as training staff and building sustainable biosafety systems.

 Stuart has been a Registered Biosafety Professional with the American Biological Safety Association since 2009. He served on the editorial committees for the 4th edition of the WHO Laboratory Biosafety Manual and the 2nd edition of the WHO Laboratory Biosecurity Guidance. He was also an original member of the WHO COVID-19 IHR Expert Committee in 2020. He currently sits on the WHO Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO), the WHO Technical Advisory Group on the Responsible Use of Life Sciences and Dual-use Research (TAG-RUL-DUR), and is Deputy Chair of the WHO Technical Advisory Group for Biosafety and Biosecurity (TAG-B). In addition, he advises FAO on biosafety and One Health programmes in Southeast Asia and the SAARC region, and has worked with WOAH and Chatham House on the Biosafety Research Roadmap to identify gaps in biosafety evidence. His team recently completed the design and construction of the BSL-3 Regional Reference Laboratory for Foot-and-Mouth Disease in Pak Chong, Thailand, funded by the United States Government.

 Alongside his international biosafety and biosecurity work, Stuart leads research on developing and validating improved diagnostics for tropical pathogens, including rickettsial diseases, dengue, and leptospirosis. He has published more than 240 peer-reviewed articles and is Section Editor (Bacteria) for PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases and a member of the editorial boards of Applied Biosafety and BMC Infectious Diseases.