Boston University researchers have caused a stir with their latest investigations into the coronavirus. By combining the spike protein of the omicron variant with the original strain from Wuhan, they created a new variant that killed 80 percent of the infected lab mice. In contrast, the ommicron variant caused only mild cures in the animals. Several virologists worldwide were outraged and talked about “playing with fire”.
Shmuel Shapira, former director of the Israel Institute for Biological Research, tweeted that such experiments “should be banned.” Richard Ebright, a molecular biologist at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, Canada, told the online edition of the Daily Mail that the Boston experiments were clearly gain-of-function experiments. It involves artificial amplification of a pathogen for research purposes.
British microbiologist David Livermore also criticized the American colleagues in an interview with the “Daily Mail”: “Based on the claim that the virus was amplified in the laboratory in Wuhan and then escaped there, such research work is not smart.”
Zoonosis or Laborunfall?
The theory surfaced early after the start of the pandemic that the coronavirus may have escaped from the lab in Wuhan, China. Former US President Donald Trump and his supporters have blamed China for this, with some even suggesting that the virus may have been deliberately released. A team of international experts was able to visit Wuhan on behalf of WHO in January 2021 – more than a year after the virus was discovered. However, the information gathered by the experts did not yield any clear results.
Worldwide, most experts assume that the virus was transmitted from bats to humans through an as-yet unknown intermediate host, such as raccoon dogs on fur farms.
Researchers: new variant less dangerous in humans
Current experiments in Boston include the analysis of the spike protein, which primarily determines how contagious the mutation is, and other proteins. According to a university press release, the experiments are intended to “better combat future pandemics.” The claims that one would play with fire and risk an accident with the virus strains were also rejected. “This was not a gain-of-function experiment because the original variant ended up fatal to the lab animals 100 percent of the time. In fact, it made this species less dangerous,” it said.
Incidentally, the study has not yet been peer-reviewed by independent researchers. But the US experts also tried to calm down, stressing that the new breed is certainly not as deadly in humans as it is in rodents.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
