President Trump Announces Restrictions on Gain-of-Function Virus Research Over Pandemic Concerns

In a significant move aimed at addressing the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday that imposes new restrictions on certain types of biological research, specifically targeting 'gain-of-function' experiments. These experiments involve modifying pathogens to study their properties, but opponents believe they pose risks of accidental leaks that could endanger public health.

The United States will halt funding for such research in select countries, citing concerns that these activities may have contributed to the COVID-19 outbreak. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. emphasized that no laboratory is entirely immune to leaks and that these precautions are essential to prevent future global health crises. Additionally, NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya warned that engaging in this kind of research could threaten not just individual nations but worldwide populations, as evidenced by the recent pandemic.

President Trump has repeatedly promoted the theory that SARS-CoV-2 originated from lab leak experiments at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, rather than natural spillover from wild animals in a seafood market. This perspective has gained traction among several U.S. agencies, including the FBI, the Department of Energy, and most notably, the CIA, which shifted its stance in Trump's presidency, favoring the lab leak hypothesis.

Historically, the NIH funded bat coronavirus research at Wuhan through the EcoHealth Alliance, a grant that Trump revoked in 2020 but was later partially reinstated under President Biden. While officials like Anthony Fauci have denied that the Wuhan studies involved gain-of-function procedures, some experts dispute these claims.

The new order highlights China as a primary example of a country engaging in risky biological research without sufficient oversight. It also broadens restrictions to include other nations lacking robust biosecurity measures, aiming to minimize risks associated with life sciences research outside U.S. borders. Furthermore, the order mandates the development of policies to monitor and regulate gain-of-function projects conducted domestically, even if not federally funded, and proposes new legislative measures to close existing gaps.

This initiative reflects a broader shift in American science and health policy under the current administration, characterized by efforts to reshape funding priorities and oversight mechanisms amid ongoing debates about pandemic origins and biosecurity. These changes come at a time of significant restructuring within federal research agencies, including staffing reductions and budget cuts.

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-trump-curb-virus-blames-covid.html