What is "gain-of-function" (GOF) research?
Biological research aimed at increasing the virulence and lethality of pathogens and viruses, including enhancing their transmissibility among humans.
Biological research aimed at increasing the virulence and lethality of pathogens and viruses, including enhancing their transmissibility among humans.
The argument for GOF research is that is conducted for biodefense purposes.
Dr. Anthony Fauci has argued that GOF research is worth any potential risks because it enables scientists to make preparations that could be useful in a pandemic.
Dr. Anthony Fauci has argued that GOF research is worth any potential risks because it enables scientists to make preparations that could be useful in a pandemic.
Many other scientists have cautioned against GOF research, however, noting that science-enhanced pathogens can:
(1.) Escape from labs, infecting and killing people
(2.) Be used for biological warfare
(1.) Escape from labs, infecting and killing people
(2.) Be used for biological warfare
In 2014, the NIH instituted a moratorium on GOF research, halting 21 sutidies.
That moratorium was lifted three years later in Dec. 2017 with a new framework that requires scientists to receive approval from a panel of experts, evaluating whether the risks are justified.
That moratorium was lifted three years later in Dec. 2017 with a new framework that requires scientists to receive approval from a panel of experts, evaluating whether the risks are justified.
In 2019, with the backing of Dr. Fauci and the NIAID, the NIH committed $3.7 million in taxpayer money to fund research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and other institutions, including GOH research to understand how bat coronaviruses could mutate to attack humans.
This followed another $3.7 million in taxpayer funds for a previous 5-year project for collecting and researching bat coronaviruses, bringing the total to $7.4 million.
The project proposal states: "We will use S protein sequence data, infectious clone technology, in vitro and in vivo infection experiments and analysis of receptor binding to test the hypothesis that % divergence thresholds in S protein sequences predict spillover potential."
"Spillover potential" refers to the ability of a virus to jump from animals to humans, which requires that the virus be able to attach to receptors in the cells of humans.
The NIH-required reviews for this GOF research were conducted in secret by a panel of experts that included Dr. Fauci.
This drew much criticism from scientists who oppose GOF research.
This drew much criticism from scientists who oppose GOF research.
Tom Inglesby of Johns Hopkins University and Marc Lipsitch of Harvard: "[W]ith deliberations kept behind closed doors, none of us will have the opportunity to understand how the government arrived at these decisions or to judge the rigor and integrity of that process."
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
