Former CDC Director Calls for Reinstatement Of Obama-Era Ban On Gain-Of-Function Experiments
April 10, 2023—As a House Oversight Subcommittee investigates the origins of the deadly COVID-19 virus that killed millions of people around the world, new details about the role of global collaboration in science come to light.
Today, the Washington Post published a groundbreaking and extensive report on how U.S. government agencies fund high-stakes research on unknown pathogens around the world. Specifically, since 2012, U.S. agencies spent billions of dollars on research of pathogens in at least 78 countries. And though the research includes dangerous virus hunting, safety standards and regulations have not kept pace with the experiments. Furthermore, according to the Post report by David Willman and Joby Warrick, some scientists say the research “exposes local populations to risks while offering few tangible benefits.”
For example, the Post reported that scientists from Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University visited remote caves and forests every year in pursuit of specimens from bats, which they brought back to a lab outside of Bangkok. That research resembles collections of bats and bat specimens by scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.
Some of the funding for the experiments taking place globally comes from USAID, while other grants came from the U.S. Defense Department, the Post reported.
Risky Business
Today, U.S. intelligence agencies are under pressure from Congress and the White House to release their findings about the origins of the COVID-19 virus. The question matters to the public not only for the lives that have been lost but also because the public has a right to know what risky experiments are still taking place. Furthermore, as the GER argued in February, at stake are lessons for global collaboration, trust in government, and responsible media practices.
Gain-of-function (GOF) research is defined as experiments that would increase the pathogenicity or transmissibility of potential pandemic pathogens. In 2014 the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy imposed a moratorium on funding gain-of-research studies while the U.S. government studied the issue. But just a few years later, the National Institutes of Health lifted the ban after a government agency proposed an oversight framework for GOF research to manage risks.
Exemption To Wuhan Lab On Gain-of-Function Research
Notably, the U.S. government provided a waiver for such research to the Wuhan Institute of Virology. That’s according to Rep. Brad Wenstrup, chairman of the subcommittee investigating the origins of COVID-19. Moreover, the lab conducted risky GOF experiments on novel coronaviruses such as combining two viruses.
The U.S. government funded the work through a grant given to a New York-based research organization called EcoHealth. Head of the group, Peter Daszak, argues that the research taking place in the Wuhan lab was not GOF. In a recent letter to the Financial Times, he argued in favor of what he called “smart surveillance” to identify potential pathogens.
‘Stop Gain-of-Function’
Today, many scientists are calling for a reinstatement of the 2014 ban on funding. Former CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield is one of them. In March, Redfield testified to the House panel that the research is dangerous and deadly, as the COVID-19 virus illustrated.
‘Don’t Leave The Decision To Scientists’
Significantly, in direct opposition to wording by Dr. Anthony Fauci, who repeatedly argued to let science lead the way, Dr. Redfield warned that the issue needs broader input.
“I don’t think this should be a decision made by scientists alone,” Redfield said in March. “This is a societal decision. There should be a broad debate about whether this research is really necessary. And if so, we should decide how to do it safely and responsibly.”
Testimony at a House Oversight Subcommittee hearing on March 8, 2023
For more, see Why the Wuhan Lab Story Matters.
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