Life Sciences Research Organization (LSRO) is a non-profit organization

Non-profit organization

Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

 based in Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

, USA, that specializes in assembling "ad hoc

Ad hoc

Ad hoc is a Latin phrase meaning "for this". It generally signifies a solution designed for a specific problem or task, non-generalizable, and not intended to be able to be adapted to other purposes. Compare A priori....

" expert panels to evaluate scientific literature, data, systems, and proposals in the biomedical sciences.

Overview

LSRO was founded in 1962 as an office within the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology

Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology

The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, abbreviated FASEB, is a non-profit organization that is the principal umbrella organization of U.S. societies in the field of biological and medical research. FASEB organizes academic conferences and publishes scientific literature...

 (FASEB) to fulfill a US military need for independent scientific counsel. In 2000, LSRO became an independent non-profit organization. It changed its name from Life Sciences Research Office to Life Sciences Research Organization in 2010. The organization has a reputation for conducting studies on politically-charged issues which are of concern to federal agencies or corporations. Some issues include the dental amalgam controversy

Dental amalgam controversy

The dental amalgam controversy refers to the conflicting views over the use of amalgam as a filling material mainly because it contains the element mercury...

, dietary supplement

Dietary supplement

A dietary supplement, also known as food supplement or nutritional supplement, is a preparation intended to supplement the diet and provide nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, fatty acids, or amino acids, that may be missing or may not be consumed in sufficient quantities in a person's diet...

 monitoring, and "reduced risk" cigarette products.

It has faced scrutiny for its private clients, particularly in relation to tobacco research, as it maintained a research program funded by Philip Morris.

LSRO has no laboratory or clinical facilities and conducts no laboratory or clinical research.

Federal government

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services headquartered in Druid Hills, unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, in Greater Atlanta...
  
   (CDC)
• Federal Aviation Administration
  Federal Aviation Administration
  The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
  
   (FAA)
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  Food and Drug Administration
  The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
  
   (FDA)
• NASA
  NASA
  The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
  
  
• National Center for Health Services Research
• National Institutes of Health
  National Institutes of Health
  The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
  
   (NIH)
• Office of Naval Research
  Office of Naval Research
  The Office of Naval Research , headquartered in Arlington, Virginia , is the office within the United States Department of the Navy that coordinates, executes, and promotes the science and technology programs of the U.S...
  
  
• U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command
• United States Department of Agriculture
  United States Department of Agriculture
  The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
  
   (USDA)
• United States Department of Health and Human Services
  United States Department of Health and Human Services
  The United States Department of Health and Human Services is a Cabinet department of the United States government with the goal of protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America"...
  
  
• United States National Library of Medicine
  United States National Library of Medicine
  The United States National Library of Medicine , operated by the United States federal government, is the world's largest medical library. Located in Bethesda, Maryland, the NLM is a division of the National Institutes of Health...
  
  

Private sector

• American Physiological Society
• American Society for Nutritional Sciences
• American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
• Amoco BioProducts Corp
• California Walnut Commission
• Calorie Control Council
• Dow AgroSciences
  Dow AgroSciences
  Dow AgroSciences LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Dow Chemical Company specializing in not only agricultural chemicals such as pesticides, but also seeds and biotechnology solutions. The company is based in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States...
  
  
• Kellogg Company
  Kellogg Company
  Kellogg Company , is a producer of cereal and convenience foods, including cookies, crackers, toaster pastries, cereal bars, fruit-flavored snacks, frozen waffles, and vegetarian foods...
  
  
• Keller and Heckman LLP
• Monsanto Company
• Philip Morris
  Altria Group
  Altria Group, Inc. is based in Henrico County, Virginia, and is the parent company of Philip Morris USA, John Middleton, Inc., U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company, Inc., Philip Morris Capital Corporation, and Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. It is one of the world's largest tobacco corporations...
  
  
• Procter & Gamble
  Procter & Gamble
  Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
  
  
• Research-based Dietary Ingredient Association
• RJR Nabisco
  RJR Nabisco
  RJR Nabisco, Inc., was an American conglomerate formed in 1985 by the merger of Nabisco Brands and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. RJR Nabisco was purchased in 1988 by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co...
  
  
• Sandoz Nutrition Corp
• United Dairy Industry Association

Notable publications

• A Study of the Biomedical Problems Related to the Requirements of Troops at Terrestrial Altitudes of 10,000 Feet or Above (1963)
• A Study of the Army Radiation Preservation of Food Program (1963)
• A Study of Research Methodology for Use in the Development of Anti-radiation Agents (1966)
• A Study of Early Radiation-induced Biological Changes as Indicators of Radiation Injury (1969)
• A Review of the Biomedical Effects of Marijuana on Man in the Military Environment (1970)
• A Study of Individual Variability in Dark Adaptation and Night Vision in Man (1970)
• Various reports reviewing GRAS
  Gras
  Gras is a commune in the Ardèche department in southern France.-Population:-References:*...
  
   (Generally Recognized As Safe
  Generally recognized as safe
  Generally recognized as safe is an American Food and Drug Administration designation that a chemical or substance added to food is considered safe by experts, and so is exempted from the usual Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act food additive tolerance requirements.-History:On January 1, 1958,...
  
  ) substances published between 1972 and 1982
• The Nutritional Significance of Dietary Fiber (1977)
• The Need for Special Foods and Sugar Substitutes by Individuals with Diabetes Mellitus (1978)
• A Review of Adverse Reactions From and Hypersensitivity to Peanut and True Nuts (1979)
• Research Needs in Management of Obesity by Severe Caloric Restriction (1979)
• The Role of Dietary Fiber in Diverticular Disease and Colon Cancer (1980)
• An Evaluation of the Potential for Dietary Proteins to Contribute to Systemic Diseases (1982)
• Guidelines for Use of Dietary Intake Data (1988)
• Nutrition and HIV Infection: A Review and Evaluation of the Extant Knowledge of the Relationship between Nutrition and HIV Infection (1990)
• Guidelines for Assessment and Management of Iron Deficiency in Women of Childbearing Age (1991)
• Safety of Amino Acids Used as Dietary Supplements (1992)
• Consistency Between Nutrition Label Information and Laboratory Analysis for 300 Food Products (1996)
• Assessment of Nutrient Requirements for Infant Formulas (1998)
• Military Dental Research Review (2000)
• Review of Infant Formula Nutrient Requirements for Preterm Infants (2001)
• The Scientific Evidence for a Beneficial Health Relationship Between Walnuts and Coronary Heart Disease (2002) -- Report contributed to the approval of the first qualified health claim on a whole food by the FDA.
• Review of Ingredients Added to Cigarettes. Phase One: The Feasibility of Testing Ingredients Added to Cigarettes (2004)
• Recommendations for Adverse Event Monitoring Programs for Dietary Supplements (2004)
• Review and Analysis of the Literature on the Potential Adverse Health Effects of Dental Amalgam (2004)
• Review of Ingredients Added to Cigarettes. Phase Two: Scientific Criteria for the Evaluation of Ingredients Added to Cigarettes (2004)
• Recommendations for Reviewing Research on Advanced First-Responder Resuscitation Fluids and Adjunct Therapies (2005)

External links

• Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)
• Life Sciences Research Organization (LSRO)