H.R. 5270 – To Prohibit the National Institutes of Health from conducting or supporting certain gain-of-function research, and for other purposes.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
BILL
| Sponsor: | Rep. Carter, Earl L. “Buddy” [R-GA-1] (Introduced 09/17/2021) |
|---|---|
| Committees: | House – Energy and Commerce |
| Latest Action: | House – 09/17/2021 Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. (All Actions) |
Tracker:
This bill has the status Introduced
Here are the steps for Status of Legislation:
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To President
- Became Law
Text: H.R.5270 — 117th Congress (2021-2022)All Information (Except Text)
As of 09/19/2021 text has not been received for H.R.5270 – To prohibit the National Institutes of Health from conducting or supporting certain gain-of-function research, and for other purposes.
Bills are generally sent to the Library of Congress from GPO, the Government Publishing Office, a day or two after they are introduced on the floor of the House or Senate. Delays can occur when there are a large number of bills to prepare or when a very large bill has to be printed.
This is another example of Republican Representatives introducing a bill to threaten Democrats. This time, Representative Earl Carter of Georgia is trying to misguide people by demonizing “gain-of-function research”. He does not provide the text of the bill. He simply wants to create a red herring.
Gain-of-Function Research
The term gain-of-function (GOF) research describes a type of research that modifies a biological agent so that it confers new or enhanced activity to that agent. Some scientists use the term broadly to refer to any such modification. However, not all research described as GOF entails the same level of risk. For example, research that involves the modification of bacteria to allow production of human insulin, or the altering of the genetic program of immune cells in CAR-T cell therapy to treat cancer generally would be considered low risk. The subset of GOF research that is anticipated to enhance the transmissibility and/or virulence of potential pandemic pathogens, which are likely to make them more dangerous to humans, has been the subject of substantial scrutiny and deliberation. Such GOF approaches can sometimes be justified in laboratories with appropriate biosafety and biosecurity controls to help us understand the fundamental nature of human-pathogen interactions, assess the pandemic potential of emerging infectious agents, and inform public health and preparedness efforts, including surveillance and the development of vaccines and medical countermeasures. This research poses biosafety and biosecurity risks, and these risks must be carefully managed. When supported with NIH funds, this subset of GOF research may only be conducted in laboratories with stringent oversight and appropriate biosafety and biosecurity controls(link is external) to help protect researchers from infection and prevent the release of microorganisms into the environment.
https://www.nih.gov
