In early 2018, nearly two years before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Defense, through its Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), sought proposals for research involving so-called “gain of function” experiments aimed at making viruses more infectious, a leading American virologist told Congress.

Dr. Ralph Baric, a prominent coronavirus researcher, provided testimony to the Senate Homeland Security Committee on April 10 during a closed-door session. Baric explained that DARPA’s solicitation in January 2018 focused on investigating the mechanisms behind viruses’ ability to jump from one species to another, a process often examined through gain-of-function studies. Such experiments entail manipulating viruses to better understand their potential to infect new hosts, sometimes by altering viral genetic material at the nucleotide level.

“Now, if you want to know, down to the nucleotide level, what drives a cross-species jumping event, you are talking gain-of-function experiments,” Baric noted in his remarks to committee staff, according to a transcript obtained by news outlets.

Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has made Baric’s full testimony publicly available on a dedicated Reading Room webpage, aiming to enhance transparency regarding the early U.S. government decisions and research activities tied to viral investigations that preceded the global COVID-19 outbreak.

The disclosure adds to ongoing debates about the origins of COVID-19 and the role of enhanced viral research in pandemic preparedness and risk. While gain-of-function research has been a subject of controversy, proponents argue it is crucial for understanding potential viral threats and developing countermeasures. Critics express concern that such studies carry inherent risks of accidental release or unintended consequences.

This revelation that DARPA pursued gain-of-function proposals before the pandemic underscores the complexity of scientific efforts to anticipate and mitigate future infectious disease threats amid concerns over biosafety and biosecurity.