Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced a bill that provides oversight for gain-of-function research.
The bill, called the “Risky Research Review Act,” would establish an independent board reviewing and approving federal funding for the research.
The legislation focuses on “high-risk life sciences research,” which is defined in the bill as life sciences research that “has a potential dual use nature or could pose a threat to public health, safety, or national security.” Such research includes “gain of function research, research involving a potential pandemic pathogen, including genetic modification of a potential pandemic pathogen and the synthetic creation of a potential pandemic pathogen,” and an “activity involving the collection or surveillance of a potential pandemic pathogen.”
“There is established as an independent agency within the Executive Branch a board to be known as the ‘Life Sciences Research Security Board’ to review proposed Federal funding for life sciences research,” the bill reads.
Board members are to be appointed by the president “without regard to political affiliation, 9 individuals who are citizens of the United States to serve as members of the board for not more than 2 terms of 4 years each.” Those on the board must also disclose subcontracts or sub-awards for research projects, as well as submit an annual report to the appropriate congressional committees as well as release the report online.
Former Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Dr. Robert Redfield expressed support for the bill, saying, “This is a very important bill which when implemented will ensure national security is prioritized when making US life science funding decisions. If we had this bill in place ten years ago we could have prevented the Covid pandemic.”
American Faith reported that National Institutes of Health (NIH) Principal Deputy Director Lawrence Tabak admitted that taxpayer funds went to gain-of-function research in China’s Institute of Virology.
During a House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic hearing, Republican Representative Debbie Lesko (AZ) asked, “Did NIH fund gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology through EcoHealth [Alliance]?”
“It depends on your definition of gain-of-function research,” Tabak said. “If you’re speaking about the generic term, yes, we did.”
