Gain of Function by Nicholas G Evans

Gain of Function by Nicholas G Evans

How a small number of risky experiments creates many unwieldy problems for life science research.


The life sciences have never been more critical to human health, wealth, and security. But with any endeavor comes risk, and the last decade has seen concerns raised about gain-of function-research in which a microbe, usually a virus, is given new properties like enhanced lethality, transmissibility, or the capability to infect new species. In 2021 the term seeped into the tabloids when a conflict between Senator Rand Paul and Dr. Anthony Fauci arose over the origins of COVID-19. In Gain of Function, Nicholas Evans-who has spent his career studying gain-of-function research-describes what this kind of research is, what it isn't, and why a small number of scientific experiments continues to make headlines.

Evans begins with a description of what gain-of-function research is in science, and what it means in government policy. He tells the story of the original papers that sparked controversy more than a decade ago, unpacking them for readers unfamiliar with virology research, and he identifies where and why policymakers and scientists alike became concerned. He then turns to the history of policies that attempt to regulate gain-of-function research, the current controversies, and the ethics of risky research. He concludes with the future of gain of function, including how debates about gain of function will influence science and public health in years to come.

Nicholas G. Evans is Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

Tara C. Smith is Associate Professor in the Department of Biostatistics, Environmental Health Sciences, and Epidemiology at Kent State University College of Public Health.

Maimuna S. Majumder is a PhD student in the Engineering Systems Division at MIT and a Research Fellow at the HealthMap Computational Epidemiology Group at Boston Children's Hospital.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780262551359
ISBN 10	0262551357
Title	Gain of Function
Author	Nicholas G Evans
Series	Mit Press Essential Knowledge Ser
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	MIT Press Ltd
Year published	2025-02-25
Number of pages	224
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.