New Delhi: The Daily Mail report cites a new study that says the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has no ‘reliable natural ancestor’ and was discovered by Chinese scientists working on ‘gain-of-function research in Wuhan lab. was made doing.
The report claimed that scientists took a natural coronavirus ‘backbone’ found in bats and added a new ‘spike’, which transformed it into the deadly and highly contagious SARS-CoV-2.
According to the Daily Mail, British professor Angus Dalglish and Norwegian scientist Dr. Birger Srensen have written the new 22-page paper, which is set to be published in the Quarterly Review of Biophysics Discovery.
The study allegedly claimed that Chinese scientists also tried to cover their tracks by reverse-engineering the virus to make it appear as if it was naturally caused by bats.
The Daily Mail, citing the authors, said the two had “prima facie evidence of retro-engineering in China” for a year, but were ignored by academics and leading journals. The study also accused Chinese laboratories of “willfully destroying, concealing or corrupting data”.
What is gain-of-function research?
Gain-of-function research alters an organism or disease in a way that increases the ability or virulence of pathogens. Scientists work on gain-of-function projects to study their potential effects on humans in order to stay ahead of the curve of potential new diseases. But if it is not done safely then there is a risk of its outbreak.
The US Senate passed an amendment to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other federal agencies to permanently prohibit funding of gain-of-function research projects in China.
The NIH issued a statement last week, saying that neither the research agency nor the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has received any funding to support “gain-of-function” research on the coronavirus. Grants are also approved, thereby increasing their potential or lethality to humans. The US agency also urged the World Health Organization (WHO) to start the second phase of its investigation without delay.
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