In general, it seems like GOF research doesn’t have a crisp definition or a transparent reporting process. If it were possible to come up with criteria for evaluating whether or not a particular publication constituted GOF research and to easily identify studies that met those criteria, it would be possible to look at whether publication of such research has been increasing over the last 5 years, and use that as a proxy for the amount of research being done. But I don’t think that’s currently possible.
The NSABB is chaired by Samuel Stanley, who quoted in 2017 “I believe nature is the ultimate bioterrorist and we need to do all we can to stay one step ahead.” So it seems like NSABB is likely to remain an opaque institution, being run as a sort of security theater to justify continued GOF research while avoiding scrutiny.
In general, it seems like GOF research doesn’t have a crisp definition or a transparent reporting process. If it were possible to come up with criteria for evaluating whether or not a particular publication constituted GOF research and to easily identify studies that met those criteria, it would be possible to look at whether publication of such research has been increasing over the last 5 years, and use that as a proxy for the amount of research being done. But I don’t think that’s currently possible.
The NSABB is chaired by Samuel Stanley, who quoted in 2017 “I believe nature is the ultimate bioterrorist and we need to do all we can to stay one step ahead.” So it seems like NSABB is likely to remain an opaque institution, being run as a sort of security theater to justify continued GOF research while avoiding scrutiny.