US Government Halts Funding for High‑Risk Pathogen Research

A new U.S. federal policy that bans government support for certain high‑risk gain‑of‑function (DGOF) research will take effect in mid‑November. The policy, issued by the Departments of Health and Human Services and State, defines DGOF and International Research of Concern (IROC), requires a review board for funded projects, and obliges investigators to disclose collaborations and foreign work. It applies only to federally funded studies but signals a broader shift in bio‑security oversight.

Jay Bhattacharya, the newly appointed NIH director under the Trump administration, praised the ban as a vital step to protect Americans. He said the NIH will increase transparency, open scientific debate, and develop a new pandemic‑response playbook, while also establishing a vaccine‑injury compensation body. The administration frames the move as reducing the risk of laboratory accidents while maintaining essential biomedical research under tighter safeguards.