Trump limits the financing for controversial functional results of the functional gain: shots

On Monday, President Trump granted an executive order in which the federal financing for research funds was restricted, which includes a controversial area of ​​the scientific study, which is known as “functional gain” surgery.

Research, which is also known as a “dual -use” surgery, includes experimenting with viruses and other pathogens that have the potential to trigger a pandemic. These studies could determine how infectious agents could be transferred or people can make people sick.

This field has long been controversial because it is feared that scientists could make a more dangerous pathogen in their laboratory that could get out and cause a pandemic. Over the years, these concerns have led to many efforts to monitor and control this research more closely.

But in the Covid 19 pandemic, research on functional gain was particularly controversial and politically polarized. A theory, as pandemic began, says that the Sars-Cov2 virus, which causes Covid-19, has jumped out of a Chinese government laboratory in Wuhan, China.

“Many people believe that research results on functions were one of the most important causes of the Covid pandemic that we met us in the past decade,” said the secretary of the White House Will. “What this executive order does first, it offers powerful new instruments to force the prohibition of federal financing for functions abroad.

Many scientists refute this theory and argue that the weight of the evidence indicates that pandemic began when someone in China was infected by a wild animal that was wearing the virus.

Nevertheless, many scientists also agree that a better supervision is required due to the possible risks. However, many fear that a moratorium would be too wide and that safe research could suffocate, and this is necessary to prevent or react to the next pandemic.

“If we prohibit it, there will be the data next time, if another Covid virus gets through, the data is not to quickly find new treatments, screening and even preventive measures,” says Kristin Matthews, a Fellow in Science and Technology Policy at the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University.

But others want limited financing.

“If one of these pathogens is accidentally published or if they are deliberately released, they can cause pandemics,” said Richard Ebright, a microbiologist at Rutgers University, who subscribes to the so -called “Labor -Leak” theory to explain how pandemic was created.

According to the White House, the Executive Ordinance would block any US financing of the functional increase in “Countries of concern” such as China and Iran as well as other foreign nations “, which is considered not enough research supervision. The order also prohibits US dollar to” contribute to foreign research “.

The arrangement “also enables the American research agencies to identify and end the federal financing of other biological research that could be a threat to American public health, public security or national security,” said a fact of the White House.

The arrangement will “increase the security of biological research without hindering the US innovation,” says the White House.

The White House also gave statements from several officials from the Trump administration that argued that the financing restriction was necessary.

“I recommend President Trump for his courage and vision,” said Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

“This is a historical day,” said Dr. Jay Bhattcharya, the director of the National Institute of Health. “The implementation of this research does not protect us from pandemics, as some people say, it does not protect us from other nations. There is always a danger that this research only causes it by chance and a pandemic.”

“It is crazy to believe that this entire nightmare was probably the result of some scientists who play around in a laboratory with technology with mother,” said Dr. Marty Makary, Commissioner of Food and Drug Administration.