WIKIMEDIA, R. BEKTAEVThe White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and Department of Health and Human Services last week (October 17) announced it was launching a detailed review into so-called gain-of-function research, in which pathogens are manipulated to alter their capabilities. Such research made headlines in 2012 after two groups instilled the avian influenza virus H5N1 with the ability to transmit between ferrets through the air—a feat that prompted a year-long moratorium on H5N1 research. Now, in the face of threats like influenza, SARS, and MERS, which have killed scores in the Middle East and Asia, the government is instituting a pause to gain-of-function funding for experiments involving these deadly viruses.
“NIH has funded such studies because they help define the fundamental nature of human-pathogen interactions, enable the assessment of the pandemic potential of emerging infectious agents, and inform public health and preparedness efforts,” National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins said in a statement. “These studies, however, also entail biosafety and biosecurity risks, which need to be understood better.”
The move comes after as many as 75 scientists at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were exposed to anthrax in June and, a few weeks later, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) employees found 16 forgotten vials of smallpox in storage. Last month, the government released new regulations regarding dual-use research, but interestingly, gain-of-function research was omitted from the report. Now, the ...
