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NIH Chief Bhattacharya unveils policy to halt high-risk research
The policy marks the first government-wide ban on federally funded dangerous gain-of-function research.
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Malvika Choudhary - Wed, 29, Jul 2026
- 17:29 EDT
- 57
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director and acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), arrives to testify before a U.S. House Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee oversight hearing on the National Institutes of Health, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 17, 2026. / REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya on July 28 announced a new policy aimed at preventing high-risk biological research that could threaten public health or national security.
The U.S. Government Policy for Stopping High-Risk Life Sciences Research establishes a government-wide framework to strengthen oversight of federally funded biomedical research and introduces what Bhattacharya described as the first explicit prohibition on dangerous gain-of-function research.
Also Read: Jay Bhattacharya launches NIH bio genesis mission
Bhattacharya said the new policy fulfills a commitment he made during his Senate confirmation hearing to implement "strong and transparent oversight" of NIH-supported research.
During my confirmation hearing, I pledged to the American public that I would implement strong and transparent oversight of NIH-supported research.
— Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD (@NIHDirector_Jay) July 29, 2026
Now, I am pleased to share the new U.S. Government Policy for Stopping High-Risk Life Sciences Research, a groundbreaking… pic.twitter.com/kFXp6c7kEz
"Today, I am pleased to announce an important milestone in fulfilling that commitment: the Federal Government has issued the U.S. Government Policy for Stopping High-Risk Life Sciences Research," Bhattacharya said in a statement.
According to Bhattacharya, the policy adopts a comprehensive, risk-based framework for federal oversight, backed by stronger enforcement, accountability, and transparency measures.
In addition to prohibiting federal funding for dangerous gain-of-function research, it requires enhanced review and reporting for life sciences research, including independent assessments of projects that could increase the harmful consequences of biological agents.
Bhattacharya said the policy also expands international safeguards by restricting certain life sciences research involving designated countries or entities and prohibiting high-risk research in countries that lack adequate oversight.
He called on researchers and institutions engaged in life sciences research to review the policy and said the NIH would work with federal agencies and the biomedical research community to support its implementation.
"Even with strong safeguards, work involving biological agents can carry inherent risk, and it is our collective responsibility to prevent the most dangerous research while ensuring that NIH-supported science continues to protect and improve the health and well-being of the American public," Bhattacharya said.
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