On Monday, May 5, President Donald Trump issued an order that halts all federal funding for gain-of-function research conducted overseas without adequate oversight, including projects in countries such as China and Iran. The order comes amid concerns that U.S. taxpayer money funded high-risk research on bat coronaviruses at a laboratory in Wuhan prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The White House stated the order aims to improve biosecurity by pausing current research, empowering agencies to identify dangerous studies, and ensuring stronger enforcement and transparency. The order will suspend funding for all existing and upcoming gain-of-function research without adequate oversight and authorizes the NIH and other agencies to oversee and safeguard public health and national security.
This measure intends to reduce lab-related biosecurity risks, addressing debates over SARS-CoV-2 origins and aiming to prevent future pandemics linked to such experiments.
