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Gain-of-function research is more than just tweaking risky viruses – it’s a routine and essential tool in all biology research

Summary

by Seema Lakdawala, University of Pittsburgh and Anice Lowen, Emory University, [This article first appeared in The Conversation, republished with permission] In May 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to restrict research on viruses and pathogens called gain-of-function studies. The National Institutes of Health is now taking steps to cancel dozens of such studies – including ones that have been deemed safe by agency scientists who reviewed them, according to Science magazine and The Washington Post. The term “gain of function” is often taken to refer to research with viruses that puts society at risk of an infectious disease outbreak for questionable gain. Some research on emerging viruses can result in variants that gain the ability to infect people, but this does not necessarily mean the research is dangerous or that it is not fruitful.

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