Vagueness and Costs of the Pause on Gain-of-Function (GOF) Experiments on Pathogens with Pandemic Potential, Including Influenza Virus
Year: 2014
Type: article
Abstract: Since the spring of 2012, there has been a raging controversy inscientific circles on thewisdomof carrying out so-called “gain-of-function ” (GOF) experiments with pathogens of pandemic po-tential (PPP) such as influenza virus (1). Although the phrase “gain-of-function ” has been much criticized because of its inex-actness, the terminology has been adopted bymany, including the media, to mean experiments in which the result is a change in virulence or host tropism for a PPP. The nugget of the debate is a disagreement over the practical value of such experiments relative to the information that they produce,with opponents arguing that risk, whether from intentional release or, more likely, laboratory accidents, outweighs any knowledge gained (1). Some anti- and pro-GOF experiment proponents have organized themselves into two camps, known as the Cambridge Working Group (CWG;
Source: mBio
Authors: Michael J. Imperiale, Arturo Casadevall
Institutions: Albert Einstein College of Medicine, University of Michigan
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,900
OpenAlex ID: W2109055004