Lawmaker raises new flap over U.S.-funded virology research that critics call risky

A U.S. senator has thrown a political spotlight on yet another U.S.-Chinese research collaboration that critics suggest includes dangerous experiments that could create “superviruses” capable of sparking a pandemic. But contrary to assertions raised by Senator Joni Ernst (R–IA), none of the U.S. funding for the project goes to foreign researchers, and scientists who are part of the collaboration challenge other concerns she raised. And the U.S. funding agency she questioned this week issued a blistering response. Prompted by information given to her by a group that opposes animal research, the White Coat Waste Project, Ernst on 14 February sent a letter to the head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that said she was “troubled” to learn about an avian influenza study its researchers are conducting with scientists at the United Kingdom’s Roslin Institute and China’s Institute of Microbiology. USDA approved the $1 million grant in 2020 to better understand the evolution of newly emerged avian influenza viruses, such as the one now causing widespread death around the world in wild birds and poultry. Although they have devastated ecosystems and cost agricultural industries billions of dollars, these viruses rarely infect people and do not transmit between humans. But they could mutate into more dangerous strains that pose a threat to people. The letter focuses on experiments in the study that repeatedly pass viruses through ...
Source: ScienceNOW - Category: Science Source Type: news