'I Know Where You're Going': Fauci Grilled By GOP's Lawyer About Gain-Of-Function Research

3 months ago

At yesterday's House Select Committee on the Coronavirus, the GOP majority's lawyer Mitchell Benzine questioned Dr. Anthony Fauci about gain-of-function research.

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00:00the origin is. The last thing, the last topic I want to touch on is gain of function. We touched

00:06on in January, you touched on a little bit today. I know the pandemic has resulted, as I'm sure

00:13you're aware, with a rather large debate and including with the NSABB updating their dangerous

00:18research policies surrounding gain of function P3CO and dual use research of concern. At the

00:26prior to October of 2021, the NIH website listed gain of function as a type of research

00:33that modifies a biological agent so that it confers new or enhanced activity to that agent.

00:39And the P3CO framework that the U.S. government uses to further regulate a sub part of that

00:46research that is more dangerous, specifically that could cause widespread and uncontrolled

00:51death or disease in humans. Putting aside what's regulatory, I agree with you, the P3CO

00:58definition is regulatory. Are there types of research that could fall under the broad definition

01:04but not the P3CO definition? Well, I believe members on the minority side have mentioned that.

01:12Influenza is a gain of function to a virus to make it grow better in eggs. Making an E. coli

01:20manufacture insulin is telling the E. coli to do something it wasn't able to do before

01:26by mutations. Of course that's the case. So in kind of the Venn diagram of this research,

01:32something could fall under gain of function without falling under further regulation.

01:40I know where you're going and you're not going to get there, but go ahead.

01:43According to EcoHealth's Year 5 progress report, they facilitated an experiment in Wuhan that

01:51had seven mice infected with Wuhan Institute of Virology. One is the backbone, five survived.

01:56Then eight mice were infected with a chimera of WIV1 and the spike from another virus and

02:01two survived. In EcoHealth's own words, these results suggest that the pathogenicity of that

02:08full-length chimera is higher than others. You were asked today, and it was read back to you a

02:17little bit, but on May 16th, just a few weeks ago, Ms. Lesko asked Dr. Tabak, did NIH fund gain of

02:24function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology through EcoHealth? And Dr. Tabak answered,

02:29if you're speaking about the generic term, yes we did. On May 11th, you were asked a similar

02:35question and you answered the NIH has not ever and does not now fund gain of function research

02:40at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. I'm going to ask it and you can answer it how you

02:48how you want to answer it. According to the broad definition of gain of function research

02:52and the definition Dr. Tabak was testifying pursuant to, did NIAID fund gain of function

02:58research via EcoHealth in Wuhan? The broad definition of gain of function, in my mind,

03:05is not applicable here and does nothing but confuse the situation. And that is the reason why

03:13after three years of deliberation by the bodies, including the NSABB, as well as the National

03:21Academies, it was decided to make an operative and regulatory definition. If you hearken back

03:29to the original broad definition, it does nothing but confuse people. And that's the why every time

03:36I have mentioned gain of function at the Senate hearing with Senator Paul and the TI and today,

03:44the definition that I use is not my personal definition. It's a codified regulatory and

03:50operative definition made by a body that has nothing to do with me. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

'I Know Where You're Going': Fauci Grilled By GOP's Lawyer About Gain-Of-Function Research

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