President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning gain-of-function research on pandemic pathogens that many believe was the true source of the coronavirus pandemic.
The research typically involves modification of existing viruses in order to make them more infectious and studying the outcomes in order to prevent and treat possible pandemics.
‘Researchers have not acknowledged the legitimate potential for societal harms that this kind of research poses.’
After the global pandemic, many theorized that the source of the virus was a laboratory leak involving gain-of-function research, possibly at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The theory was initially ridiculed as a racist conspiracy theory by many, but has since been corroborated by more evidence.
The administration said the order would “drastically reduce” lab-related incidents involving gain-of-function research “like that conducted on bat coronaviruses in China by the EcoHealth Alliance and Wuhan Institute of Virology.”
Trump’s order ends federal funding for the research in countries like China, Iran, and others without sufficient oversight. It also orders U.S. agencies to identify such research that might imperil public safety and end federal funding for any programs.
“For decades, policies overseeing gain-of-function research on pathogens, toxins, and potential pathogens have lacked adequate enforcement, transparency, and top-down oversight,” read a fact sheet from the administration. “Researchers have not acknowledged the legitimate potential for societal harms that this kind of research poses.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was among the most prominent critics of the lab-leak theory and defended the use of gain-of-function research.
“President Trump has long theorized that COVID-19 originated from a lab leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and has consistently pushed for transparency in investigating its origins,” said the statement from the administration.
The Obama, Biden, and first Trump administrations all previously implemented policies pausing or limiting gain-of-function research.
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