US taxpayers money used for controversial virus research in Wuhan

NEW DELHI: National Institutes of Health (NIH) principal deputy director Lawrence Tabak admitted to Congress on Thursday that US taxpayers funded gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Rep Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz) of the select subcommittee on the coronavirus pandemic questioned Dr Tabak, asking, “Did NIH fund gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology through [Manhattan-based nonprofit] EcoHealth [Alliance]?” Tabak replied, “If you’re speaking about the generic term, yes, we did.”
This admission comes after more than four years of evasions from federal public health officials, including Tabak himself and former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director Dr Anthony Fauci, regarding the controversial research practice that modifies viruses to make them more infectious.Tabak clarified that this type of research is widespread and poses no threat or harm, which is why it is not regulated, a New York Post report said.
Dr Bryce Nickels, a genetics professor at Rutgers University, criticized Tabak's response, describing it as “obfuscation and semantic manipulation.” He accused the NIH official of resisting accountability for risky research that could create pathogens of pandemic potential.
In July 2023, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) barred the Wuhan Institute of Virology from receiving federal grants for the next 10 years. Additionally, EcoHealth Alliance, which had its funding pulled by HHS for the next three years, has faced scrutiny for its involvement in the research.
Tabak previously acknowledged in an October 2021 letter to Congress that NIH funded a "limited experiment" at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which tested whether spike proteins from naturally occurring bat coronaviruses could bind to the human ACE2 receptor in a mouse model. This experiment, which involved modifying bat coronaviruses with SARS and MERS viruses, was not described as gain-of-function research, despite EcoHealth's failure to report that the modified viruses became 10,000 times more infectious, violating grant terms.
Despite repeated denials by Dr Anthony Fauci, Republicans have consistently challenged the NIH's involvement in gain-of-function research. Sen Rand Paul (R-Ky) notably grilled Fauci in several hearings, demanding clarity on the NIH's funding practices.
The House subcommittee continues to investigate whether Covid-19 accidentally leaked from a lab in Wuhan, which several US intelligence agencies and experts have suggested as the most likely cause of the pandemic. Dr. Robert Redfield, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe have both supported this theory.
Nickels concluded that the hearing underscored the lack of oversight for scientific research on pathogens, highlighting the need for stricter controls and accountability to prevent future pandemics.
Dr Fauci is scheduled to testify about gain-of-function research and the origins of the pandemic in a public subcommittee hearing on June 3.