Chinese scientists, linked with the country’s military, have conducted experiments involving a deadly mutant strain of coronavirus in mice, according to a British media report.
The study, not yet published, has raised concerns about the potential risks associated with such research and the possibility of triggering another pandemic, UK’s Daily Mail reported. The experiment involved cloning a Covid-like virus discovered in pangolins, known as GX_P2V, and infecting mice engineered to express a human protein.
Every mouse infected with the pathogen succumbed within eight days, revealing an unexpectedly rapid progression of the virus. The study noted elevated viral loads in the mice’s brains and eyes, indicating a unique pattern of multiplication and a potential “spillover risk into humans.” Professor Francois Balloux of University College London slammed the study as scientifically pointless and potentially risky.
I had a look at the preprint. It’s a terrible study, scientifically totally pointless. I can see nothing of vague interest that could be learned from force-infecting a weird breed of humanised mice with a random virus. Conversely, I could see how such stuff might go wrong …— Prof Francois Balloux (@BallouxFrancois) January 10, 2024
Professor Richard Ebright of Rutgers University expressed concern about the lack of information on biosafety precautions, raising parallels with research in Wuhan that may have contributed to the Covid-19 pandemic. The virus, GX_P2V, was originally discovered in 2017 in pangolins in Malaysia and stored in a Beijing lab, where it evolved over time. The study does not specify when the research was conducted, leaving uncertainties about potential mutations during storage.
Eight mice infected with the virus died within seven to eight days, accompanied by symptoms such as white eyes, rapid weight loss, and fatigue. According to Daily Mail, high viral loads were detected in various organs, including the brain, lungs, noses, eyes, and windpipes, suggesting a unique infection pattern compared to Covid. Severe brain infection appeared to be a key factor in the mice’s deaths, the report said.
The study underlines the potential spillover risk of GX_P2V into humans and raises questions about the biosafety measures employed during the research. This experiment echoes previous controversial research, with parallels to gain-of-function studies, which have been subject to several debates and ethical concerns.
The latest study does not seem to be linked with China’s infamous Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), which had been at the center of theories suggesting a lab leak related to the Covid-19 pandemic. US agencies discovered no conclusive evidence supporting the lab leak theory from WIV. However, they did not dismiss the possibility that the virus could have originated from an alternative source. Till date, the origin of Covid remains uncertain.
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