We have a problem that the scientific community is not actually set up to protect the public

from the risk of accidents in labs.

Dr Bryce Nichols is a professor of genetics at Rutgers University and the co-founder of

Bio Safety Now, an organization that aims to reduce the public threat of

lab-generated pandemic pathogens. Like any person that's trying to pull the wool over anyone's eyes,

occasionally what you'll do is you'll say things that are technically correct,

but it's used to deceive and that's what's been going on for this use of the term gain of function.

In this episode we discussed the Risky Research Review Act.

If passed, this legislation will establish an independent review board to assess the risks and benefits of certain

gain-of-function research and determine whether such research should be done in the first place.

They believe that what they're doing is so important that it's okay to lie.

We want to make there be incentives to tell the truth, not to hide the truth.

This is American Thought Leaders, and I'm Yanya Kelleck.

Dr. Bryce Nichols, such a pleasure to have you on American thought leaders.

Thank you. I'm very excited to talk to you today.

We were on a panel just recently together,

and you came out as a huge proponent

of Senator Rand Paul's and Senator Peter's Risky Research Review Act.

So briefly get you to tell me what it is and why you're such a supporter.

So the Risky Research Review Act is a historic piece of legislation that would establish for the first time an independent review board part of the executive branch that would be responsible for doing risk benefit assessment of high risk research that's going up for federal funding.

The reason why that's extremely important is because right now and

for the last since debt for decades. There has not been any independent risk benefit assessment for research that is high risk.

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