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Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD@NIHDirector_Jay · May 7, 2025

Two weeks ago, I ordered all work to halt at a high biosecurity risk @nih lab located in Frederick, MD. I did this…

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Summary

The director of the NIH's Frederick, Maryland biosafety lab ordered a halt to all work after discovering a contractor deliberately cut a hole in a biocontainment suit during a personal dispute, revealing a broader pattern of inadequate safety protocols. Work will not resume until safety concerns are fully resolved.

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  1. #1

    Two weeks ago, I ordered all work to halt at a high biosecurity risk @nih lab located in Frederick, MD. I did this because of a serious incident involving biosafety that had occurred in early March, but which did not cross my desk until weeks later. 🧵1/5 foxnews.com/politics/hhs-h…

  2. #2

    It turns out that a contractor at the lab had deliberately cut a hole in a biocontainment suit over a personal dispute with a co-worker. Researchers are supposed to wear these suits when they do experiments with dangerous pathogens. This is how lab leaks can happen! 🧵2/5

  3. #3

    An ongoing investigation revealed a pattern -- going back to the Biden administration -- of safety not taken as seriously as it ought. So with @SecKennedy's blessing, I immediately ordered all work to halt & all dangerous pathogens secured. 🧵3/5

  4. #4

    I won't reopen the lab until I am satisfied that that it can be done with zero risk to public safety. No more lab generated pandemics! 🧵4/5 whitehouse.gov/lab-leak-true-…

  5. #5

    One last media note: @WIRED used the incident to somehow paint @SecKennedy as anti-science. He was acting responsibly to protect the public from a high-risk lab with a poor safety record, but they ignored that in their story. Sheesh! 5/5 wired.com/story/hhs-niai…