Virologist Ralph Baric, Ph.D., who collaborated with Dr. Anthony Fauci and researchers at China's Wuhan Institute of Virology during the COVID-19 pandemic, has lost his NIH grants and been placed on leave by the University of North Carolina, RealClearInvestigations reported Tuesday. Baric is considered a pioneer of gain-of-function research, which evidence suggests may have created SARS-CoV-2 and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Virologist Ralph Baric, Ph.D., who collaborated with Dr. Anthony Fauci and researchers at China's Wuhan Institute of Virology during the COVID-19 pandemic, has lost his National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants and been placed on leave by the University of North Carolina (UNC), RealClearInvestigations reported Tuesday.

Baric is considered a "pioneer" of gain-of-function research, which increases the virulence or transmissibility of viruses and is used to develop vaccines targeting that virus.

Baric performed extensive research involving coronaviruses similar to SARS-CoV-2, which was responsible for the COVID-19 outbreak.

As of today, the NIH RePORTER database lists two grants connected to Baric, both with an end date of April 30. It's unclear whether this refers to an original or amended end date for the grants.