The debate about pandemic preparedness has been a decade-long one. Some of the most respected biologists in the world have divided into two camps. Rand Paul has brought an end to the conflicting opinions on gain-of function research. This is where deadly pathogens that can cause pandemics are artificially increased for laboratory study. The Kentucky Republican senator, Rand Paul, has politicized the debate by cherry-picking expert opinion from those who oppose the research, and publicly accusing Dr. Anthony Fauci of lying before Congress. He claimed that gain-of function studies at China's Wuhan Institute of Virology had not been funded by his National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.Paul's made-for-television rant against Fauci delighted Fox News hosts and fellow Fox News colleagues, like Rep. Jim Jordan from Ohio, who also promoted the discredited conspiracy theory that Faucis agency funded research that could have lead to the development SARS-CoV-2 in Wuhan, the deadly coronavirus responsible for the death of Covid-19. Paul's claim that Wuhan research done before 2017 had met the criteria for gain-of function was rejected by Fauci. He pointed out that the coronavirus used to create SARS-CoV-2 is not possible. The senators staff posted a cut version of the video to his YouTube channel shortly after the heated exchange ended. It was titled Dr. Fauci Accused of Lying About NIH Funding in WuhanPauls staff edited the video so that Fauci responds to senators' harangue. Fauci said, "I totally resent that lie that you are now propagating," because it was before Fauci responded by saying, Senator, that I completely resent the lies that you are now propagating."@RandPaul is interviewing Dr Fauci, a well-known liar - Fauci is literally shaking.He has been exposed. Dr Fauci has no credibility. He's fallen apart. He has made matters worse. pic.twitter.com/nrE9pldEfm Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) July 20, 2021Paul's false claim that Fauci supported gain-of function studies made him responsible for 4 million deaths around the globe. The ensuing frenzy within the conservative media also led to some biologists, who had previously been vocal in their opposition to such experiments, becoming silent.Several prominent scientists questioned the safety and wisdom of gain-of function experiments, in which biologists intentionally create pandemic-causing pathogens inside the lab to better prepare for them to evolve in nature. They repeated Paul's false claim that Fauci was responsible for the pandemic. Their selective outrage at gain of function research in China made it almost impossible for them, without being attacked by partisans, to speak about the pre-pandemic Wuhan experiments. I was told by a biologist who supports such research that he would like to correct misinformation about the experiments but had been intimidated by death threats. Paul initially accused Fauci of supporting gain-of function research in Wuhan. This was in May. However, he also claimed that he had been threatened with death by being told that he would not have allowed such an opportunity. Fauci claimed that his agency, part of the National Institutes of Health had not funded gain-of function research in Wuhan. Paul confronted Fauci last week when he returned to the senate panel. He said that Richard Ebright, a Rutgers University molecular biologist and a long-time critic of gain of function studies, had told National Review that Fauci's May testimony was false. Ebright stated that the Wuhan Institute experiments, which were indirectly funded by NIAID under a project to prevent a pandemic from occurring, were unambiguously gain-of–function in nature.Photo by Stefani Reynolds-Pool/Getty ImagesFauci claimed that Paul was wrong and that experts from the National Institutes of Health had reviewed the Wuhan project. They concluded that the experiments did not meet the requirements for gain-of function research. Fauci and Paul got heated when Fauci suggested that the research funded by Faucis agency might have resulted in the development of SARS CoV-2, the deadly coronavirus responsible for Covid-19. Fauci rightly pointed out that this speculation was misleading as it was molecularly impossible to manipulate the laboratory to create SARS. Even the most vocal critics of gain of function research on potential pandemic pathogens are in agreement with Fauci. PolitiFact spoke to Kevin Esvelt in May, an MIT biologist. He said that the Wuhan experiments should be considered gain of function. However, he also stressed that they did not lead to the creation SARS-CoV-2.
