Gain-of-Function Oversight and Sexual Health Post-USAID
May 9, 2025
Editors' Note
On Monday, President Donald Trump issued a new executive order that restricts funding for gain-of-function research in the United States and other countries, including China. Gain-of-function research, where scientists adapt and enhance pathogens such as viruses or bacteria to learn how those agents threaten health, has been the subject of controversy for years and is accused of being the origin of COVID-19.
However, a broad or poorly defined ban on gain-of-function research could impede studies into disease prevention, antibiotic resistance, immunology, and vaccines. To help the political and scientific community move beyond an impasse, Texas A&M University's Ben C. Snyder proposes creating an independent government authority for bio-responsibility. Snyder argues that the body should create a risk-based regulatory framework and consolidate oversight functions to foster public trust and reduce the risks associated with gain-of-function research.
The edition then returns to the conversation around the global health landscape sans U.S. federal funding. Ipas CEO Anu Kumar and Development Director Pansi Katenga describe how the dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) presents an opportunity to reimagine support for sexual and reproductive health and rights. The authors note that the Helms Amendment and the Mexico City Policy are obsolete without U.S. aid funding, creating a chance for health systems and organizations worldwide to deliver abortion care.
Next, Binaytara Foundation President and Cofounder Binay Shah outlines how USAID cuts will disrupt funding for programs providing human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines to millions annually. Without access to the HPV vaccine that prevents cancers caused by the virus, women and girls in low- or middle- income countries, where more than 84% of cervical cancer deaths occur, will continue to suffer from the preventable illness.
To wrap up the edition, nonprofit communications leader Emile Dawisha spotlights how Uganda is maximizing its public-private partnerships to sustain its progressive refugee policies and tackle disease threats amid the loss of U.S. foreign aid.
Until next week!—Nsikan Akpan, Managing Editor, and Caroline Kantis, Associate Editor
Though H5N1 case detections have dropped from their peak in the fall and winter of 2024, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials urged continued surveillance as cases could resurge if new flu subtypes appear. Researchers indicate that though cow-to-cow transmission is responsible for much of the spread, any seasonality in H5N1 could correspond to migratory bird patterns when poultry flocks and dairy cattle are at higher risk for fresh introductions.
