AMP calls for stronger safeguards around public disclosure and continued exemptions for routine, low-risk animal research activities.

Washington, D.C. — October 19, 2026 — Americans for Medical Progress (AMP) submitted comments in response to a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Request for Information on its proposed Biosafety Policy for Research Involving Biohazards.

While AMP supports NIH’s efforts to modernize biosafety oversight, its response emphasizes the importance of ensuring that updated requirements do not inadvertently create additional security risks for research personnel or impose unnecessary oversight on routine animal activities that pose no meaningful biosafety risk.

AMP’s response outlines three key recommendations:

1. Strengthen protections for research personnel and facilities. Reconsider public disclosure requirements that could expose sensitive information about animal research activities, particularly when compiling otherwise publicly available information creates new security risks.
2. Establish risk-based thresholds for incident reporting and public disclosure. Distinguish genuine biosafety concerns from routine animal-related incidents, such as minor bites, scratches, or escapes that involve no exposure to or release of biological agents.
3. Preserve existing exemptions for low-risk animal research activities. Ensure that routine activities, including the breeding, purchase, and transfer of low-risk transgenic rodents, remain exempt from new approval requirements when they pose no meaningful biosafety risk.

Of particular concern are the proposed public disclosure requirements and their implications for research personnel who already face harassment, threats, and other security incidents.

AMP encourages NIH to ensure that the final policy supports meaningful transparency and accountability while protecting research personnel and keeping oversight proportionate to actual biosafety risks.

Read AMP’s full coments here.