Stricter rules on risky research welcomed—with caution
Some researchers are welcoming a Trump administration executive order calling for tighter policies on so-called gain-of-function research—experiments that could make pathogens more dangerous. But they are also expressing concern about what exactly the order would mean.
Several experts quoted in a May 6 article in Science said that the wording of the order is vague and overly broad and could therefore curtail pathogen studies that are not that risky but have high potential benefits.
Marc Lipsitch, professor of epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, expressed support for the new rules—but cautiously. He has long called for greater oversight of gain-of-function research because of the risk that it could lead to a pandemic.
Lipsitch noted that steps he agrees with—stricter enforcement, increased transparency, more clarity on the scope of covered research, and an effort to include privately funded research—are all mentioned in the executive order. “If this had been written by the Bush administration or the Biden administration, I would be 95% supportive,” Lipsitch said. But he said he’s worried about the policy’s implementation under the Trump administration, given its other moves—including funding cuts and downsizing of health agencies—that have been harmful to science and research.
Read the Science article
Trump moves to tighten rules on risky research on viruses, bacteria, toxins
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Little to be gained through ‘gain-of-function’ research, says expert (Harvard Chan School news)
