Jay Bhattacharya's Push to End NIH Support for Dangerous Gain-of-Function Research

At the February 3, 2026 Senate HELP hearing titled “Modernizing the National Institutes of Health: Faster Discoveries, More Cures,” Sen. Roger Marshall pressed NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya on gain-of-function research, and Bhattacharya assured the committee that NIH had ended support for dangerous gain-of-function work. The position dates to his nomination: Bhattacharya pledged during the confirmation process to “vigorously regulate” research that could cause another pandemic.

Bhattacharya himself has referenced the lab-leak assessment favored by the FBI, CIA, and Department of Energy in his written nomination testimony, according to a medicaleconomics.com summary. One caveat matters for accuracy: Sen. Marshall’s assertion at the hearing that COVID-19 resulted from NIH-funded gain-of-function research is Marshall’s claim, not Bhattacharya’s; the two should not be conflated.

Timeline

• 2025 (nomination process): Bhattacharya pledges to “vigorously regulate” gain-of-function research that could cause another pandemic; his written testimony references the lab-leak assessment favored by the FBI, CIA, and DOE.
• February 3, 2026: At the Senate HELP hearing, Bhattacharya assures Sen. Roger Marshall and the committee that NIH has ended support for dangerous gain-of-function research.