On October 17, 2014, after notification from concerned scientists, over “recent series of laboratory incidents at U.S. facilities” the US Government paused all funding for Gain-of-Function (GoF) studies or research that is “reasonably anticipated to confer attributes to influenza, MERS, or SARS viruses such that the virus would have enhanced pathogenicity and/or transmissibility in mammals via the respiratory route”, simply because chimeric viruses are risky. [2]
The pause was pending adoption of a new policy. So in October 2014 the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) who served as the official federal advisory body on GoF research issues and was responsible for developing recommendations for the appropriate level of Federal oversight of GoF research. Gryphon Scientific was contracted by the NIH Office of Science Policy to conduct risk and benefit assessments of GoF research involving the pathogens subject to the funding pause. They gave their final report in April 2016 following a 2014 and 2016 Gain of Function symposiums. [4]
On December 19, 2017, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), lifts the gain-of-function pause and resumes funding of research that pass their P3CO Framework. [1]