Context:

President Donald Trump has issued an executive order to halt all federal funding for gain-of-function research deemed dangerous, particularly in countries like China and Iran. This decision aims to prevent research that could lead to pandemics, as such studies have been linked to lab-related incidents, notably the COVID-19 pandemic. The order seeks to improve biosecurity and protect public health by ending funding for research lacking adequate oversight. While restricting harmful research, it ensures that productive biological studies continue to maintain the U.S.'s global leadership in biotechnology and biosecurity. Trump's longstanding belief that COVID-19 originated from a lab leak informs this move, emphasizing transparency in investigating such origins.

Dive Deeper:

• President Trump's executive order bans federal funding for gain-of-function research in countries with insufficient oversight, aiming to prevent future pandemics by restricting studies that increase virus infectivity.

• The White House emphasizes that this order will significantly reduce the risk of lab-related incidents like those involving bat coronaviruses studied by the EcoHealth Alliance and Wuhan Institute of Virology.

• Gain-of-function research, which modifies viruses to be more infectious, was conducted at the Wuhan Lab before the COVID-19 outbreak, and the administration seeks to prevent similar biosecurity threats.

• The new directive discontinues existing and future funding for such research, empowering U.S. agencies to identify and terminate support for any biological research posing threats to health and security.

• While the order restricts dangerous research, it does not impede essential biological studies, ensuring the U.S. maintains readiness against biological threats and continues its leadership in biotechnology.

• The White House criticizes past policies on gain-of-function research for lacking enforcement and transparency, highlighting the unacknowledged societal harms of such research.

• Trump's order reflects his theory that COVID-19 may have originated from a lab leak, advocating for transparency in investigating the pandemic's origins.