Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC & PEPP)

Dual use research (DUR) is research conducted for legitimate purposes that generates knowledge, information, technologies, and or products that can be utilized both for benevolent and harmful purposes. A limited subset of this research is termed Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC), defined as: 

“Life sciences research that, based on current understanding, can be reasonably anticipated to provide knowledge, information, products, or technologies that could be directly misapplied to do harm with no, or only minor, modification to pose a significant threat with potential consequences to public health and safety, agricultural crops and other plants, animals, the environment, materiel, or national security.” 

DURC is considered Category 1 research by the USG Policy. 

Research Involving Pathogens with Enhanced Pandemic Potential 

A pathogen with pandemic potential (PPP) is a pathogen that is likely capable of wide and uncontrollable spread in a human population and would likely cause moderate to severe disease and/or mortality in humans.  In addition to research involving extinct or eradicated PPPs, the Policy requires oversight of research involving pathogens with enhanced pandemic potential (PEPPs).  A PEPP is defined as: 

“A type of pathogen with pandemic potential resulting from experiments that enhance a pathogen’s transmissibility or virulence, or disrupt the effectiveness of pre-existing immunity, regardless of its progenitor agent, such that it may pose a significant threat to public health, the capacity of health systems to function, or national security.  Wild-type pathogens that are circulating in or have been recovered from nature are not PEPPs but may be considered PPPs because of their pandemic potential.” 

PEPP is considered Category 2 research by the USG Policy