Abstract
For four decades the NIH Guidelines have served as the framework for the oversight of research with recombinant and synthetic nucleic acid molecules. IBCs are a vital component in that system of oversight as the entity that ensures the safe conduct of this type of research at the local level. IBC review also provides a public window into the procedures utilized by institutions to manage biohazards, thereby protecting human health, animal health, and the environment. It is both because of their biosafety responsibilities, as well as the manner in which they offer transparency to the public, that IBCs play a central role in fostering public trust in the safety of the life science research enterprise.