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Gain-of-Function: Everything We Know About This Controversial Research

The pros and cons of gain-of-function medical research

By Rui AlvesPublished 2 years ago 4 min read
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Gain-of-Function: Everything We Know About This Controversial Research
Photo by CDC on Unsplash

What is Gain-of-Function?

Gain-of-function (GoF) uses genetic engineering to make a living organism more virulent. The microorganisms studied are often viruses, bacteria, and other microorganisms.

The most common application of GoF is in the development of new vaccines.

Vaccines that use gain-of-function techniques produce an immune response that is more similar to natural infection than traditional vaccines do.

This means that the vaccine has a higher likelihood of successfully protecting the individual from the disease it was designed for.

Why is Gain-of-Function Relevant?

It’s important to know when a pathogen gains a new function because this can change the course of treatment and the severity of the disease.

A virus can gain function in many ways. It can mutate and gain a new ability to infect another species or change its structure to escape recognition by the immune system.

Gain-function studies are most commonly used in virology and have revealed many details about the biological mechanisms of virus transmission and replication.

The high rate of replication and mutation of viruses usually results in escape mutants, strains whose genomes have been altered to reduce or eliminate the affinity of natural or vaccine-generated antibodies for the virus. In contrast, survival rates don't decrease appreciably.

Most mutations that a virus can acquire are detrimental to the function of the virus, although in some cases, the mutation can increase virulence and provide a better immune defense.

International regulations determine that animal studies be conducted for vaccines before they can be tested in humans.

However, in cases where human viruses are being studied, follow-on strains must be generated that could contaminate the model species.

This can be accomplished using gain-function research, in which the virus is passed through the animal so that the molecular determinants of transmissibility can be identified and the vaccines being studied can be tested.

By CDC on Unsplash

How do Scientists Determine a Pathogen Gain-of-Function

Scientists use three criteria to determine if a pathogen has gained a function.

The first is the degree of complexity, which is determined by the number of parts in the pathogen and how they are arranged.

The second is the degree of organization, which is determined by how well-structured and organized the pathogen’s parts are.

The third criterion used to determine if a pathogen has gained a function is its ability to produce the desired outcome, which can be done through either natural selection or artificial selection.

The Pros and Cons of Gain-of-Function Research

There are arguments in favor and against GoF research in virology.

Hence, there’s an increasing need to raise awareness for all matters concerning the “gain-of-function” criteria for biological threat agents.

We need to debate all the implications of this type of research in layman’s terms so that the general public can understand all its implications.

GoF benefits:

Biological threats are hazardous because they can be carried by anything from an insect bite to a handshake.

They can also infect people through water sources, food sources, or even touchable surfaces like door handles or telephones.

GoF experiments provide powerful tools to investigate any pathogen’s potential for virulence and transmissibility, thus potentially saving lives.*

GoF risks:

Biosecurity: The likelihood that someone would use products or information gained from GOF experiments that led to a more pathogenic virus to carry out intentional damage in the form of bioterrorism.*

Biosafety: The likelihood of accidental escape that could trigger an outbreak and epidemic.*

Final Thoughts

Diseases have been around for millennia, and they’ll continue to be a threat to humanity in the future.

Life-threatening biological threats come in all shapes and sizes, but diseases caused by novel pathogens are most common.

We need a public debate about these new techniques to ensure that experiments follow a rigorous risk assessment to prevent harmful events.

References:

  • *Casadevall A., Michael J. Risks and Benefits of Gain-of-Function Experiments with Pathogens of Pandemic Potential, Such as Influenza Virus: a Call for a Science-Based Discussion, mBio.01730–14
  • Lipsitch M and Bloom BR. 2012. Rethinking biosafety in research on potential pandemic pathogens, mBio 3:e00360–12.
  • Lipsitch M and Galvani AP. 2014. Ethical alternatives to experiments with novel potential pandemic pathogens, PLoS Med. 11:e1001646.
  • Mahmoud A. 2013. Gain-of-function research: unproven technique, Science 342:310–311.

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About the Creator

Rui Alves

Hi, I'm Rui Alves, a teacher, army veteran & digital pathfinder. Author, alchemist of sound & Gen-AI artist.

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