Beyond tariffs and trade barriers, a recent move by US President Donald Trump’s administration in the field of scientific research warrants serious concern. On April 2, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that starting April 4, it would ban institutions located in countries of concern, including China, from accessing NIH controlled-access data repositories and associated data.
As one of the world’s largest medical research funders and the primary agency responsible for biomedical research in the US, the NIH manages key databases such as dbGaP, GDC and SRA. These databases store millions of genomic sequences, clinical case records and drug trial results, which are vital resources for rare disease diagnosis, cancer treatment, epidemic prevention and drug development. Restricting access will significantly disrupt global biomedical research and international scientific collaboration.
The ban targets China (including Hong Kong and Macao), Russia, Iran, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Cuba and Venezuela. Under the pretext of national security and data protection, the US is politicizing and weaponizing scientific data in a clear attempt to slow the rapid progress of countries like China in the field of biotechnology, thereby preserving its own strategic dominance.
The move comes shortly after Jay Bhattacharya was appointed the new NIH director. In alignment with Trump’s push for government downsizing and budget cuts, Bhattacharya has initiated leadership shake-ups, removing chiefs of multiple NIH institutes and centers from their posts, sparking domestic academic backlash. Now, targeting imaginary foreign threats appears to be a diversion tactic and a gesture of loyalty to the administration.
More fundamentally, this ban reflects the Trump administration’s broader isolationist approach to science. From trade wars to data blockades, the US is attempting to erect scientific borders, abandoning the long-held ideal that science knows no boundaries.
Yet such data hegemony is ultimately self-defeating. In biomedicine — where international cooperation is essential — shutting out nations like China risks losing invaluable resources and insight. The NIH, already under financial strain, may see its global influence wane and its scientific impact diminish, further deepening divides in the global research community.
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