Biophysical Society Bulletin | December 2021

Public Affairs

WHO Unveils Scientific Advisory Group on the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO) The World Health Organization (WHO) has created the Scientific Advisory Group on the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO) to study the origins of SARS-CoV-2, prepare for future epidemics, and promote research into emerging pathogens. The researchers proposed to be SAGO members include 26 individuals from 26 countries chosen from more than 700 applicants. Six of the nominees were members of the inter- national team that studied the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic with colleagues in China. The group’s findings leaned towards a natural origin as the explanation for the outbreak, labeling the theory of a leak from a lab in Wuhan, China “extremely unlikely,” although WHO’s director-general has since stated that it is too soon to completely dismiss this possibility.

be on an upswing for research until October when Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro signed legislation redirecting 600 mil- lion reais ($106.3 million) earmarked for the Ministry, leaving Brazilian researchers in limbo. To help fund scientific research, Brazil utilizes taxes collected from industrial sectors such as biotechnology and energy towards a special fund for industrial innovation and research, the National Fund for Scientific and Technological Devel- opment (FNDCT). A portion of funds from FNDCT are then used towards the science budget. Approximately 690 million reais were expected to fund science, including 655 million from FNDCT. While funding cuts are nothing new to Brazilian researchers (research funding peaked in 2015 at 14 billion reais), this new funding reality marks the smallest investment in Brazilian research since 2004.

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Call for Papers Special Issue: Biophysics of Cancer Editors: Rajini Rao, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA

Alemayehu Gorfe, University of Texas McGovern Medical School, USA Since the declaration of war on cancer five decades ago to the recent establishment of the National Cancer Institute’s RAS initiative, biophysics has played a prominent role in addressing fundamental questions related to tumor formation, growth, and migration. We are inviting contributions on experimental and computational studies of biomolecules relevant to cancer biology. These could include new experimental results, critical reviews of the state of the field, guides to the design and interpretation of experiments, and cell and molecular level explorations of the basic principles of cancer initiation and metastasis. Also of interest are articles describing the historical role and perspectives of biophysics in the study of cancer at the cellular, tissue, and organismal levels. Deadline for submission: January 31, 2022

To submit, visit https://www.editorialmanager.com/biophysical-journal/

December 2021

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