Emails Show NIH Officials Assisted With Paper on COVID-19 Origins

Emails released by Sen. The paper stated that analysis of genome sequence data found "no evidence that the virus was made in a laboratory or otherwise engineered."

In private messages later made public, some authors had also noted characteristics suggesting the virus could be manmade. The authors have said the changes were driven by evidence. Collins told lawmakers in 2024 that his role was limited to providing information and that he did not edit the paper. He also said he is not a virology expert.

In an April 2020 email, Collins asked whether the NIH could "help put down this very destructive conspiracy" and referenced the Nature Medicine article. He later told lawmakers the email was meant to promote evidence-based statements. " A CIA operations officer testified in May that Fauci provided a list of experts, including the paper's authors, for the intelligence community to consult.