Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ‘shielded’ biotech firms in gain-of-function research audit, GOP senator claims

A recent audit of Pentagon funding of gain-of-function research outside the US "may have shielded" collaborations with Chinese biotech firms — including at least one linked to Beijing's military, a Republican senator alleged Tuesday. Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) pressed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for answers about redactions that had concealed the firms — WuXi AppTec, Pharmaron Beijing Co., and Genscript Inc. — from public scrutiny in the audit, according to a letter exclusively obtained by The Post. "American taxpayers deserve transparency about the programs they are funding, and I am disappointed this OIG report does not provide that accountability," Marshall…