IN 2018, Peters published an article entitled 'The global proliferation of high-containment biological laboratories' — a definitive work on the post-9/11 race to establish laboratories to fight bioterrorism. Biosafety Laboratories Level 3 and 4 (the highest type to deal with harmful pathogens without harming laboratory scientists) enable quick identification of viruses, development of testing protocols and ultimately modifying the pathogens.

The article presents an interesting argument on the merits and risks of the proliferation of these laboratories. On one hand, these laboratories have great potential for putting an end to the scourge of tuberculosis, malaria and other infectious diseases, and they came in handy during the pandemic. On the other hand, risks of accidents, spillage or weaponization of germs are also unavoidable.