The Changing Relevance of Material Transfer Agreements for Infectious Disease Research: Enhancing the Role of Investigators

Georgetown University, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

Access to biological samples is crucial to the research process that leads to diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines to address new and reemerging infectious diseases. However, access to biological samples has become a barrier to research. With respect to researchers based in the U.S. alone, a series of legal agreements reached at the international level erect barriers to access for viruses including Ebola, influenza, and Zika. With respect to international research collaborations, material transfer agreements are becoming more complex and increasingly necessitate the involvement of investigators. Despite these changes, a distinction remains between the role of researchers and the role of lawyers who negotiate MTAs. This conference idea arose based on the importance of minimizing barriers to access of biological samples and related knowledge from genetic resources originating in developing countries. Most researchers have little or no involvement with the material transfer process even though their interests are at stake. The fact that the material transfer process has become more integral and high-stakes in the process leading to diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines to address new and reemerging infectious diseases is reason to create this multidisciplinary meeting. This meeting has 5 overall objectives: (1) Gather infectious disease specialists with experts in the ethics and law of biological sampling, biobanking, and material transfer, (2) Develop multidisciplinary research as a vehicle to advance understanding of the changing role of the material transfer agreement especially as affected by the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization, (3) Provide opportunities to seed multidisciplinary collaborations among investigators, trainees, ethicists, and legal scholars, (4) Support trainee education about challenges arising from material transfer agreements and the role of investigators in addressing those challenges, and (5) Catalyze new dialogues on the structure of international scientific collaborations in light of constraints imposed by the ethics and law of sampling, biobanking, and transfer. The conference organizers include: Dr. Rebecca Katz who has had experience at multiple levels of national and international conferences including organizing meetings related to the International Health Regulations, Ebola response and pandemic preparedness in Geneva, Washington, DC and Wilton Park, UK. Professor Sam Halabi has previous experience organizing programs for one-week intensive programs aimed at multidisciplinary participants from developed and developing countries as well as many local conferences. There are few if any conferences that have attempted to bring together expertise in medicine/science, law, and ethics around the issue of material transfer as it has changed in the last decade. Without a meeting of this nature, the targeted groups of researchers would have a low likelihood of developing collaborations. This conference will act as an enzyme to catalyze those interactions in order to advance science and access to new diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines.