LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – In the wake of new information regarding vaccine research and experimentation, members of the Michigan Legislature have come forward with legislation banning certain gain-of-function (GOF) research. 

“Other states have taken the initiative and they’ve talked about this issue, but we’re going the full breadth of banning gain-of-function here in the state of Michigan, this Frankenstein type science,” Representative Brad Paquette (R-Niles) said at a press conference. 

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He also shared how he was adversely affected by a second Moderna shot and suffered a heart attack, which prompted him to look more into vaccines and question Pfizer officials; who assured him they would answer any question he would ask. 

“So my question was, did Jordan Walker, did he actually work for you guys in this capacity of gain-of-function research as an executive director?” Rep. Paquette asked, “And they blocked my phone.” 

Rep. Paquette added that he, alongside Representative John Roth (R-Green Lake Township) and Representative Ken Borton (R-Gaylord), experienced heart attacks after receiving a COVID vaccine. 

Medical advisor, Dr. Andrew Huff, former Vice President and Senior Scientist for Ecohealth Alliance, holding degrees in psychology, security technology, and emerging infectious disease epidemiology with a specialty in bio terrorism and pandemic prevention also spoke in favor of the bill. 

“Ecohealth Alliance is the organization which funded the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV),” Dr. Huff said, “I was hired as a senior scientist where I was primarily developing advanced bio surveillance tools for the Department of Defense, that’s how you detect emerging infectious diseases as fast as possible, using technology like machine learning and artificial intelligence.” 

He proceeded to break down the history of GOF research which started not long after the attack on Sept. 11, 2001. 

“Gain-of-function is anytime that we enhance the pathogenicity, the virulence, the transmissibility, the infectivity, or environmental persistence of the agent,” Dr. Huff added, “And the only reason why you do that is to create a weapon, there is no medical reason, no scientific reason to do it.” 

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Following several near misses, or outside exposures of these potentially pandemic causing pathogens, the U.S. government placed a moratorium on gain-of-function research around 2012-14 according to Huff, which prompted outside research to continue. 

Following several near misses, or outside exposures of these potentially pandemic causing pathogens, the U.S. government placed a moratorium on gain-of-function research around 2012-14 according to Huff, which prompted outside research to continue. 

“One of the other interesting things that happened this past year was that Dr. Anthony Fauci admitted in an interview that that research was exported to the WIV, so that we could see what was going on in their laboratory. 

Huff also described how advanced biotechnology from Dr. Ralph Baric’s Laboratory at the University of North Carolina was given to the Chinese to perform this work, despite knowing China was about a decade behind the United States in bioweapons development and counter measures development. 

“From my previous research and work, as a scientist with a top secret clearance in this field, everyone knew that the Wuhan Institute of Virology was the Chinese Bioweapons laboratory,” Dr. Huff said, “The Chinese Communist Party was there, the Chinese military scientists were there, we all knew it.” 

There is a faulty premise with gain-of-function work that has been debated since he was a PH.D student, argued Huff. 

“One side of the argument is that it is necessary for us to be doing gain-of-function work so we can get ahead of these emerging pathogens. If we can predict how the flu virus will evolve, we can make a medical countermeasure – a vaccine or a drug to treat it,” Dr. Huff said during the press conference. “My side of the camp and other side of the argument is, there is no way to predict how nature will evolve, it’s a faulty argument. To date scientists have never effectively or accurately predicted how a pathogen will evolve, it has not happened once.” 

One of the principal concerns of gain-of-function research, comes down to the lack of regulation. 

“Current federal GOF policy, GOF research is only regulated at the federal level if it is federally funded,” Dr. Huff said. “Any person with private funding, any pharmaceutical company, can go engage in GOF research without regulation, on top of that it is on the scientist to self-report whether or not they’re doing this GOF research.” 

According to Huff several other states are looking into similar legislation including Wisconsin, and Florida, which recently passed House Bill 1387, prohibiting gain of function research related to pathogens.  

“GOF using recombinant DNA, is used to mass produce and scale insulin production,” “we also use recombinant DNA to make pest resistant crops, our bill does not touch or address those good types of GOF, our bill specifically targets the type of GOF that could used to weaponize infectious agents.” 

The legislators and Dr. Huff could not point to a specific place, but theorized that GOF research is likely being done at Michigan State University, University of Michigan, and Pfizer, based on the words of a Pfizer Director. 

“GOF broadly defined is happening everywhere, it’s not all bad,” Dr. Huff said, “The dangerous type of GOF research that we’re concerned about could be happening at three or four institutions in the state of Michigan, but once again there is not a policy or regulatory framework in place for us.” 

Rep. Paquette also responded to the recent Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approval of a COVID booster shot for children as young as six months of age, and recommendations of the Center for Disease Control (CDC). 

“I voted to allocate [federal] funding for vaccines to be supplied to people who want it, I took it myself my wife as well,” he said, “I regret that decision now, especially after seeing the perspective of doctors who have seen a lot more cardiac patients especially people my age, in their 30s and healthy individuals.” 

He also mentioned he “very much opposes right now” taxpayer dollars which help fund advertisements encouraging children to get the vaccine, and hope that future legislation will help to gather data surrounding vaccine injury.