NIH: No Documents Available on Removal of ‘Gain-of-Function’ Definition From Website

Contact Your Elected Officials
The Epoch Times Header

No documents exist explaining why officials decided to remove the definition of “gain-of-function research” from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) website, the agency told The Epoch Times.

The NIH site used to include a 232-word definition of the research but it was removed around the same time the agency disclosed that research it funded in China met the definition.

The alteration took place sometime between Oct. 19 and Oct. 21.

The Epoch Times submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for any communications and other documents from between Oct. 1 and Oct. 25 relating to the change, which had been authorized by the NIH Office of Communications and Public Liaison.

The request was closed this week. The NIH told The Epoch Times that it “does not have documentation” on the change other than the updated page.

The Department of Health and Human Services in 2017 published a document explaining how to deal with proposed research involving “enhanced potential pandemic pathogens,” or gain-of-function research. The document narrowed the definition to pathogens both highly transmissible and likely to cause significant sickness or death in humans.

The page in question “had described the general definition of gain-of-function research that fell outside the scope of the HHS P3CO Framework,” an NIH spokeswoman told The Epoch Times in an email in October.

“However, that information was being misused/used incorrectly (and still is) and creating confusion (and still is),” she added, triggering the change.

The NIH’s FOIA office sent a statement on the change that was nearly identical as the one from the spokeswoman.

Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), the ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, told The Epoch Times via email that the changed definition “has only muddied the waters.”

“Part of understanding what happened in the Wuhan lab is understanding precisely what gain of function means, and NIH has not been helpful in this regard,” he said.

The documents released to lawmakers in October showed the NIH funded, via the EcoHealth Alliance, research in China that included enhancing the pathogenicity of a modified bat coronavirus.

Experts told The Epoch Times that the research clearly fit the definition of gain-of-function.

Dr. Francis Collins, the head of the NIH, had asserted in a statement in May that his agency had never approved any grant ” that would have supported ‘gain-of-function’ research on coronaviruses that would have increased their transmissibility or lethality for humans.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of Collins’ top subordinates, said under oath during a congressional hearing that “The NIH has not ever and does not now fund gain-of-function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology.”

After the October disclosure, Collins and Fauci appeared to admit the research met the general definition of gain-of-function, but argued it did not meet the definition laid out in the framework.

By Zachary Stieber

Read Original Article on TheEpochTimes.com

The Epoch Times
The Epoch Timeshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/
Tired of biased news? The Epoch Times is truthful, factual news that other media outlets don't report. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be.

Fauci Caught DEAD TO RIGHTS in Anti-FOIA Conspiracy, Per Newly Released Emails

Fauci told Congress in 2024 he never pressured staff to delete emails, but evidence shows otherwise, raising perjury concerns and calls for indictment.

America is facing what could be described as “disorganized troubles,” born of a feeling of powerlessness.

The US is seeing a pattern of consistent, politically motivated lone-wolf attacks, evident in events like the murder of Charlie Kirk on a campus in Utah.

A Bullet Is No Argument

Charlie Kirk’s sharp intellect and joyful debate style dismantled challengers’ arguments, making him a target for those opposed to truth and goodness.

Private Citizens Work to Solve the Kirk Assassination

Americans unite after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, scouring online videos for anomalies surrounding the shocking event.

24 Years Later and NEW 9/11 Information is Still Coming Out

New info from journalist Catherine Herridge reveals the 9/11 plot traces back to 1998, following the first failed terrorist mission in 1993.

Charlie Kirk’s Widow Addresses Public After Assassination

Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk, made her first public appearance and shared her heart after her husband was brutally assassinated in front of the world.

Suspect in Kirk Assassination Caught, Identified as Tyler Robinson

The suspect indicated to a family member he was connected to the shooting and had previously expressed opposition to Kirk’s viewpoints.

Secret Service Agent Placed on Leave Over Post About Charlie Kirk

A Secret Service agent has been placed on leave after his comments on social media following the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.

US Coast Guard Burns Boat Carrying Nearly 13,000 Pounds of Cocaine in the Pacific

U.S. Coast Guard seized 7 suspected smugglers with 13,000 lbs of cocaine in the Pacific and sank their boat during Operation Pacific Viper.

Trump Signs Memo Targeting Direct-to-Consumer Pharmaceutical Advertising

President Trump signed a memo to ensure drug ads give fair, balanced, and complete information to protect and inform American consumers.

Trump Runs out of Patience With China, Sharpens His Words

President Donald Trump’s recent remarks targeting China and its allies mark a noticeable shift in tone.

Trump Signs Order Renaming Department of Defense as Department of War

President Donald Trump on Sept. 5 signed an executive order renaming the Department of Defense as the Department of War.

Trump Signs Executive Order Targeting Countries That Unlawfully Detain Americans

President Trump signed an EO on targeting the unlawful detention of American citizens around the world and to facilitate the release of hostages.
spot_img

Related Articles

Popular Categories

MAGA Business Central