<span style="color: black;">The ongoing Covid pandemic has led to many theories about the origin of novel coronavirus. The lab leak theory of leakage of the virus from Wuhan Institute of Virology is one such theory. In this regard, the controversy of gain of function research has also gained ground.<br />”&nbsp;<br />”Simply put, gain of function is a line of research where scientists take viruses or other microorganisms and study how they might be modified to become deadlier or more transmissible. This is performed in a research context to understand the way in which a pathogen adapts to environmental pressures, allowing disease control measures to be better planned, and potential vaccines and therapies to be explored. Gene editing technology such as CRISPR may be utilized in combination with selective serial passaging to investigate the role of specific genes on protein expression and ultimate organism function. Gain-of-function research can highlight possible mutations that may take place in currently known viruses and allow better community surveillance, identifying when such mutations arise and allowing vaccines to be prepared in advance of such an outbreak.&nbsp;Likewise, there is loss of function research, where the function of genes is investigated by their removal. Such research that involves increased risk is usually conducted in biosafety level 4 labs that contain the maximum level of precautions.<br />”&nbsp;<br />”Although gain of function research has been in the news recently, it is not a new phenomenon. The history of such experiments goes back at least to the synthesis of viable influenza A H1N1 (1918) based on material preserved from the 1918 pandemic. Such experiments are funded by governments around the world. Keeping this in mind, the World Health Organization&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.who.int/csr/durc/en/" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.who.int/csr/durc/en/&source=gmail&ust=1623866994458000&usg=AFQjCNFS2ogkk-CESH5HL0xS18nTaQ6PYQ"><span style="color: black;">in 2010</span></a><span style="color: black;">&nbsp;developed a ‘guidance document’ for Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC) in the life sciences. Dr Anthony Fauci&nbsp;in an article in 2012&nbsp;stated&nbsp;that the ‘benefits of such experiments and the resulting knowledge outweigh the risks’.&nbsp;The Obama Administration banned gain of function research in 2014 after some safety incidents and paused the funding for such research. However, the Trump Administration lifted the ban.<br />”&nbsp;<br />”The view on gain of research has been divided. The scientists who do this kind of research argue that we can better anticipate deadly diseases by making diseases deadlier in the lab. Advocates say it will enhance surveillance and monitoring for new potential pandemics.&nbsp;They argue that gain of function&nbsp; data have been used to launch outbreak investigations and allocate resources (e.g., H5N1 in Cambodia), to develop criteria for the Influenza Risk Assessment Tool, and to make difficult and sometimes costly pandemic planning policy decisions.<br />”&nbsp;<br />”However, escape of pathogens from the lab remains a severe risk. There are many different points of failure ‘ machinery that’s part of the containment process malfunctions;&nbsp;regulations aren’t sufficient or aren’t followed. Human error means live viruses are handled instead of dead ones. In June 2014,&nbsp;as many as 75 scientists&nbsp;at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were exposed to anthrax. A few weeks later, Food and&nbsp;Drug Administration officials ran across&nbsp;16 forgotten vials of smallpox&nbsp;in storage.&nbsp;Such incidents have happened in the USA, a country that is at the cutting edge of research. It’s important to keep in mind that many countries do not have mechanisms in place at all ‘ much less a real-time way to identify and reduce or eliminate risks as experiments and new technologies are conceived. A pathogen accident could potentially kill a few million people. Such experiments being used for the development of bioweapons in the guise of research is also an ongoing issue.</span><br />