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Cancer researchers at the University of Birmingham have been given permission
from Britain’s Health and Safety Executive to resume genetic engineering
experiments that the HSE’s inspectors had halted earlier this year because
of fears over safety (This Week, 12 February).

The HSE banned experiments with viruses genetically engineered to ferry
a cancer-causing gene into samples of human cells.

Inspectors wanted full assessments of whether the viruses – which had
been ‘disabled’ so they could not spread to people – would be able to mutate
back into an infectious state. They also asked the researchers to move the
experiments to a safer laboratory.

Peter Ward, the area director for the HSE in the West Midlands, says
that the researchers, led by David Gallimore of the department of cancer
studies, ‘have reviewed and revised their risk assessments to HSE’s satisfaction,
and put into place suitable controls’. Inspectors will visit the department
periodically to check levels of safety.