White House acts to shut down "Gain of Function"

We start by pointing out that not all news outlets have been uniformly responsible in their coverage of Dr. Kawaoka’s work. Several have distorted or ignored many of the facts to enhance their angle on the story.

There are actually two different sets of experiments being discussed in the media, though sometimes this is not clear. While both involve H1N1 research, one involves the 2009 H1N1 strain and the other involves a 1918-like strain. The 2009 H1N1 influenza virus is now considered a seasonal strain and labs across the globe routinely work with it at biosafety level two. After careful consideration, UW’s Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) determined BSL-2 appropriate for Dr. Kawaoka’s work as well.

Experiments with 1918-like influenza are conducted at BSL-3 Ag, a higher stringency than BSL-3 labs elsewhere and higher than what is required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

Dr. Kawaoka has safely conducted influenza research at UW for years. The work is performed with significant oversight from the university’s Select Agent Program and the federal entities that oversee the program, including APHIS and the CDC. Dr. Kawaoka’s laboratory, as well as all the laboratories in the university’s Select Agent Program, are inspected regularly, sometimes without notice, and are tested on an annual basis to ensure they are functioning properly.

Although there is no such thing as zero risk, University of Wisconsin-Madison is confident that work with important pathogens can be carried out safely and securely.