Virology under the Microscope—a Call for Rational Discourse
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2023
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© 2023 Goodrum et al.
Abstract
Viruses have brought humanity many challenges: respiratory infection, cancer, neurological impairment and immunosuppression to name a few. Virology research over the last 60+ years has responded to reduce this disease burden with vaccines and antivirals. Despite this long history, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented attention to the field of virology. Some of this attention is focused on concern about the safe conduct of research with human pathogens. A small but vocal group of individuals has seized upon these concerns – conflating legitimate questions about safely conducting virus-related research with uncertainties over the origins of SARS-CoV-2. The result has fueled public confusion and, in many instances, ill-informed condemnation of virology. With this article, we seek to promote a return to rational discourse. We explain the use of gain-of-function approaches in science, discuss the possible origins of SARS-CoV-2 and outline current regulatory structures that provide oversight for virological research in the United States. By offering our expertise, we – a broad group of working virologists – seek to aid policy makers in navigating these controversial issues. Balanced, evidence-based discourse is essential to addressing public concern while maintaining and expanding much-needed research in virology.
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This commentary is published as Goodrum, Felicia, Anice Lowen, Seema Lakdawala, James Alwine, Arturo Casadevall, Michael Imperiale, Walter Atwood et al. "Virology under the Microscope—a Call for Rational Discourse." Journal of Virology (2023): e00089-23. doi:https://doi.org/10.1128/jvi.00089-23. Posted with permission.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.