The Chinese scientists working in the laboratory linked to the true origin of the COVID-19 pandemic are considering conducting new concerning experiments with the coronavirus, some specialists warned.
Earlier this month, researchers at the controversial Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) reported that they had discovered a new virus with notable similarities to Covid in so-called "bats".
Called "HKU5-CoV-2", this virus already shows a similar potential to infect human cells and is closely related to a known coronavirus that has a mortality rate of up to one-third of the people it infects.
Now, independent experts have expressed concern that the Chinese scientists are planning to conduct experiments with this new virus reminiscent of those that might have originated the Covid pandemic.
Doctores chinos.
The first documented cases of Covid were recorded a few kilometers from the laboratory, which was already known to collect and experiment with coronaviruses. In December, a select committee in the United States concluded that the Wuhan Institute of Virology was the "most likely" source of the pathogen responsible for the global pandemic.
Dr. Alina Chan, a molecular biologist at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, is one of the people alarmed by the new experiments with HKU5-CoV-2.
Commenting on the study that announced its discovery, Chan explained to the Daily Telegraph: "The paper ends on a worrying note: it describes a set of future experiments that could have triggered the Covid-19 pandemic... they will investigate the viruses' ability to cause disease in humanized mice".
The Chinese experiments
Humanized mice are specifically bred to contain human cells or tissues, allowing for more accurately simulating how a virus might infect and make humans sick.
Dr. Chan expressed concern that the WIV lacked the proper infrastructure to safely conduct this type of controversial research, especially in a city with more than 8 million inhabitants.
Doctores chinos.
"After what we experienced with Covid-19, I believe there is no appropriate level of biosafety for this type of experiment in the city of Wuhan", she commented, adding: "If this type of work needs to be carried out, it should be done at a biosafety level 4, away from any urban area".
Tests revealed that HKU5-CoV-2 entered human cells similarly to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that caused COVID-19. Additionally, it was found to be a close relative of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).
MERS is a contagious respiratory disease that is transmitted from animals to humans and between humans. It causes fever, cough, difficulty breathing, diarrhea, and vomiting, and in severe cases, it can be fatal.
Sharing their findings in the journal Cell, the researchers funded by the Chinese Communist Party acknowledged that the virus posed a "high risk of human contagion, either through direct transmission or facilitated by intermediate hosts".
Finally, suggesting plans for future research, they noted: "Given its broad range of potential hosts and the relatively high risks of human infection, the pathogenicity of BtHKU5-CoV-2 should be evaluated in animal models, such as hamsters and human ACE2 transgenic mice in future studies".
