Of Mice and Men (…and Ferrets and Bats): The Evolution of Gain of Function Research in the Age of COVID-19
Friday, October 13, 2023
5:00 PM – 6:15 PM ET
Location: Chasseur (Third Floor)
This presentation reviews a brief history of Gain of Function (GOF) research resulting in “enhanced potential pandemic pathogens” (ePPPs) with increased virulence, transmissibility, or host range and frames it around the social, ethical, and regulatory landscape that now exists in the wake of SARS-COV2. Battling widespread distrust in the medical-research enterprise, perpetuation of scientific/medical misinformation, and a public that has now lived through the physical, social and economic effects of a deadly pandemic – how (if at all) has the applicability of former risk-benefit analyses of GOF research involving ePPPs shifted? This includes discussion of the (1) global public health ethics of conducting GOFR with ePPPs following what many would consider a large-scale failure to ensure an equitable international health response during COVID-19, (2) social risks in conducting GOFR and the endurance of misinformation surrounding GOF research following COVID-19, and (3) novel regulatory frameworks proposed in order to shift from a self-governed (“responsible science”) model, to a legal obligation standard.
Nicholas Evans, PhD, MSME – Chair, Associate Professor, Philosophy, University of Massachusetts Lowell