Biotechnology: Role of Institutional Biosafety Committees

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO assessed institutional biosafety committees' implementation of the federal guidelines applicable to the environmental release of genetically engineered organisms, focusing on their: (1) membership composition; (2) functions and activities; (3) implementation of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) guidelines for research involving recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecules; and (4) role in federal regulation of genetically engineered organisms.