Understanding Gain of Function and it’s impact on the Pandemic

In our 2022 year-end report, we briefly discussed an ethical issue directly associated with the recent pandemic, namely Gain of Function (GOF) research. It is vital that we possess understanding of GOF origins and significance.

GOF research had been quietly pursued internationally for decades before it was officially named and given public attention. In 2011, 2 groups of scientists (funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH)) genetically engineered an avian influenza virus (H5N1), making …