Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/Axios
NIH misrepresented risky research on mpox — previously known as monkeypox — and denied that the work was proposed and approved when queried by Congress, a new House Energy and Commerce Republican staff report concludes.
Why it matters: The findings raise more questions about whether NIH conducted or assisted in risky "gain of function" research — a common investigative theme House Republicans have pursued this session.
What's inside: The report details an experiment described in a 2022 Science magazine interview with an NIAID researcher that envisioned inserting segments of a lethal strain of mpox into a more transmissible strain of the virus.
- After repeated denials, HHS ultimately admitted that the research team had been granted approval for the experiment in 2015 but that the work wasn't done as envisioned.
- The report lays out recommendations around biosecurity to ensure future transparency, including potentially requiring an independent board to approve gain of function experiments.
NIH didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Between the lines: Gain of function research can be valuable in predicting future pandemic threats, but it can also generate risks by introducing new, potentially more dangerous viruses.
- There is debate over the technical definition of gain of function research, as former NIAID director Anthony Fauci highlighted in his testimony before the House's COVID Select Subcommittee last week.
