House approves ban on gain-of-function pathogen research

In a move that has rattled some in the biomedical research community, the U.S. House of Representatives last night approved a ban on federal funding for “gain-of-function” research that modifies risky pathogens in ways that can make them more harmful to people. Scientific groups say the vaguely worded provision could unintentionally halt a large swath of studies, from flu vaccine development to work on cold viruses. But they are hopeful that the Democratic-controlled Senate will not allow the measure to become law. Sponsored by Representatives Thomas Massie (R–KY) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R–IA), the ban was part of a slate of amendments to the 2024 House spending bill for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the parent agency of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), that came before the full chamber yesterday. It passed on a voice vote, meaning individual members did not have to register their support or opposition. The House recessed for Thanksgiving without voting on the entire spending bill, HR 5894 . The gain-of-function amendment would revise language passed into law last year that banned HHS from funding such work in China and other “adversary” countries such as Cuba. That qualifier is now gone, meaning work by HHS-funded researchers in the United States could also be banned. The amendment now reads: “None of the funds made available by this Act may be used, either directly or indirectly, to conduct or support an...
Source: Science of Aging Knowledge Environment - Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research