Scientific advisory committees

In the eighth decade of his life, Berg remains active both as a researcher and as an advocate for the scientific community at the state and federal levels. In addition to serving as chair of the scientific advisory committee of the Human Genome Project, he has spoken and written in support of federal and state financing for stem cell research, human cloning, and other forms of biotechnology. 

The NTP is located administratively at the NIEHS/NIH and receives advice on its activities from three external groups The NTP Executive Committee, the NTP Board of Scientific Counselors, and the Scientific Advisory Committee on Alternative Toxicological Methods. The NTP also uses special emphasis panels for independent scientific peer review and advice on targeted issues. 

ECVAM has its own Scientific Advisory Committee (ESAC) with participation from all Member States, relevant industrial associations, academic toxicology, the animal welfare movement, as well as other Commission services with interest in the alternatives topic area. 

The European Union has a highly structured legislative framework for resolution of referrals to its scientific advisory committees - for new... 

Provides for the use of scientific advisory committees to provide expert advice and recommendations to FDA regarding clinical investigation and approval of new drugs. 

At the 17th meeting of the ECVAM Scientific Advisory Committee in 2001, the EST, the MM assay, and the WEC assay were endorsed as scientifically validated assays and ready for consideration for regulatory acceptance. Detailed reports on the performance of these validated assays have been published (5-7). 

Once the test method has been validated, the ECVAM Scientific Advisory Committee (ESAC) produces a statement or recommendation on the use of the test method. In some cases, regulatory acceptance is achieved via adoption of the test method by a relevant European commission (e.g., a new Commission Regulation) or a new OECD Test Guideline (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)). 

James N. Pitts, Jr., is a Research Chemist at the University of California, Irvine, and Professor Emeritus from the University of California, Riverside. He was Professor of Chemistry (1954-1988) and cofounder (1961) and Director of the Statewide Air Pollution Research Center (1970-1988) at the University of California, Riverside. His research has focused on the spectroscopy, kinetics, mechanisms, and photochemistry of species involved in a variety of homogeneous and heterogeneous atmospheric reactions, including those associated with the formation and fate of mutagenic and carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic compounds. He is the author or coauthor of more than 300 research publications and three books Atmospheric Chemistry Fundamentals and Experimental Techniques, Graduate School in the Sciences—Entrance, Survival and Careers, and Photochemistry. He has been coeditor of two series, Advances in Environmental Science and Technology and Advances in Photochemistry. He served on a number of panels in California, the United States, and internationally. These included several National Academy of Science panels and service as Chair of the State of California s Scientific Review Panel for Toxic Air Contaminants and as a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Acid Deposition. 

WCSAC War Cabinet Scientific Advisory Committee (Brit)... 

Most of the expert advice that forms the scientific basis of EC legislation on chemical contaminants in food is provided by the Commission s scientific advisory committees working in the food safety area. The experts on these committees are expected to provide independent advice and not represent their countries or the organisations that employ them. The results of the deliberations of the scientific advisory committees are published and are also available on the Internet at DG SANCO s web site (http //europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/ health consumer/index en.htm). 

In 1997, the Commission transferred responsibility for these committees to DG SANCO and restructured the system. It established a Scientific Steering Committee and defined the mandates for eight scientific advisory committees (Commission Decision 97/579) (Fig. 13.1). The aim of the reform of the system was to increase the independence of the expert committees from national government and other interests and to increase transparency. Members of the expert committees are required to declare any interests they may have that could affect their impartiality in dealing with a particular subject or substance on a committee s agenda. 

When proposing an MRL, the Rapporteur Member State (RMS) identifies the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) and Acute Reference Dose (ARfD) for man that is valid for the pesticide in question. The ADI thus identified is often the same as that recommended by the Joint FAO/WHO Meetings on Pesticide Residues (JMPR), whose recommendations on ADIs and MRLs are used within the Codex Alimentarius system. If the ADI proposed by the RMS is not that recommended by JMPR, the RMS has to provide an explanation for the difference. The other Member States comment on the RMS proposal at meetings of the Working Group on Pesticide Residues. If the Member States cannot reach agreement on the evaluation, the matter is referred to one or more of the Commission s scientific advisory committees. Prior to autumn 1997, such questions were referred to the Scientific Committee for Pesticides, but since then they have been referred to the Scientific Committee on Plants. 

An independent peer-review panel should make an official statement on the validity of the QSAR. In the EU, such a statement could be made, for example, by the Scientific Advisory Committee (ESAC) of the ECVAM (see Worth and Balls [2001] for information about ECVAM... 

Prof. Rao is Chairman, Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, past President of The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS), Member of the Atomic Energy Commission of India and Chairman, Indo-Japan Science Council. He is Founder-President of both the Chemical Research Society of India and of the Materials Research Society of India. Prof. Rao was President of the Indian National Science Academy (1985-86), the Indian Academy of Sciences (1989-91), the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (1985-97), the Indian Science Congress Association (1987-88), and Chairman, Advisory Board of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (India). He was the Director of the Indian Institute of Science (1984-94), Chairman of the Science Advisory Council to Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi (1985-89) and Chairman, Scientific Advisory Committee to the Union Cabinet (1997-98) and Albert Einstein Research Professor (1995-99). 

The computer program was developed by P. H. Gaither of Winterthur s Scientific Advisory Committee. Table I shows the normalizing and baseline correction factors employed in the computer program. 

Cairns served on President Nixon s Scientific Advisory Committee (1970-1973) and on the Delaware Governor s Council on Science and Technology (1969-1972). 

Public interest representatives, at least with an observer status, should be appointed to all scientific advisory committees based on merit and expertise in the field of consumer movement and preferably with a technical (scientific) background. 

The editors are indebted to the members of the International Scientific Advisory Committee for their help in reviewing the abstracts and papers. 

In the Centralised Procedure a Rapporteur and a Co-Rapporteur, appointed from within the member states of EU, have to evaluate the product and report to the European Medicines Agency within 210 days. If the UK is selected as Rapporteur or Co-Rapporteur, the evaluation of the medicinal product is carried out by the MHRA. Occasionally, when there is particular interest in a novel medicinal product, or when a new medicinal product would have a significant affect on drug usage in the NHS, the MHRA will get involved and opinions will be sought from scientific advisory committees. A recent example of this was when the first inhaled formulation of human insulin was licensed. 

Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM) Scientific Advisory Committee (ESAC) on the scientific validity of the in vitro micronucleus test as an alternative to the in vitro chromosome aberration assay for genotoxicity testing. ESAC 25th meeting. http //ecvamjrcit/indexhtm. 

Scientific Advisory Committee of the Medical Outcomes Trust. Assessing... 

It is important to remember, as well, that most of the disputes that come to court in the area of risk management have no clearcut scientific solutions. These controversies arise at the frontiers of science where, almost by definition, there are no established or widely accepted answers to scientific questions. Moreover, disputes seldom come to court until they have matured in forums where the technical issues are thoroughly debated scientific advisory committees, administrative hearings, internal or external peer review, and pretrial negotiations. If technical conflicts persist after all these processes are exhausted, the reason very probably is that the matter in controversy cannot be settled by scientists according to purely scientific norms. 

---