Biophysical Society Bulletin | December 2025

Public Affairs

five years at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, where she led programs focused on emerging technologies. Under Jackson’s leadership and within the context of the Trump administration’s health priorities, ARPA-H is continuing several ongoing research initiatives while canceling others and launching new programs that align more closely with current policy directions. Although many of the agency’s preexisting programs re main active, the agency ended projects related to artificial intelligence in medical imaging, cybersecurity protections for hospitals, and preventive care investment research. Moving forward, ARPA-H’s priorities are shifting to reflect the current administration’s health policy goals while maintaining a focus on transformative biomedical research. Biosecure Act Expected to Become Law by Year’s End A bill aimed at preventing Americans’ genetic and health data from being accessed by Chinese biotechnology companies is expected to become law by the end of 2025. The Biosecure Act would bar federal funding to organizations working with businesses deemed “companies of concern,” a designation expected to include several Chinese biotech firms. The Senate recently passed the measure as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the annual

defense spending bill that has passed every year for decades. The House approved its own version of the NDAA earlier this year without the Biosecure Act, meaning that lawmakers must still reconcile the two versions. That process was tem porarily delayed by the government shutdown, but observers expect swift passage now that Congress has reconvened. Last year’s House version of the bill specifically named five Chinese companies—BGI Genomics, MGI Tech Co., WuXi Biologics, WuXi AppTec, and Complete Genomics—as firms posing national security risks. The Senate’s version takes a narrower approach, leaving it to the Department of Defense and the Office of Management and Budget to determine which foreign companies qualify as “companies of concern.” Lawmakers such as Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) argued that this approach is fairer, giving companies a chance to respond before being blacklisted. If enacted, the Biosecure Act could complicate US research partnerships and raise costs for universities and biotech firms that rely on affordable services from Chinese laboratories. Prohibitions on new federal grants involving companies of concern would probably take effect around 2028, while exist ing contracts would have until 2033 to transition. Supporters view the measure as a critical safeguard for na tional security, while critics warn it could disrupt research col laborations and slow scientific progress. Regardless, the bill signals Washington’s growing determination to limit China’s role in US biotechnology. The Biophysical Society provides many opportunities for members to get involved and give back to the biophysics community. To learn more about the different opportunities, please visit www.biophysics.org/get-involved.

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