Executive Order bans funding “Dangerous Gain of Function Research”

On May 5, 2025 President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order titled “Improving the Safety and Security of Biological Research” which bans the funding for “Dangerous Gain of Function Research”, especially abroad. [1, 2, 3]

The orders stated “recent policies like the 2024 U.S. Government Policy for Oversight of Dual Use Research of Concern and Pathogens with Enhanced Pandemic Potential (DURC/PEPP) and the Framework for Nucleic Acid Synthesis Screening, have proven inadequate by relying heavily on self-reporting and failing to safeguard public health sufficiently.” [4]