While experts disagree on whether the study qualifies as gain-of-function research, due to the lack of intentional enhancement, they expressed concerns about the biosafety level and the potential dangers of working with such viruses. Concerns were further amplified by the involvement of researchers with ties to the Chinese military and the infamous Wuhan Institute of Virology.

The study’s results, however, leave room for error due to the use of genetically modified mice and the lack of comparison with other live viruses like SARS-CoV-2. The applicability of the findings to humans and the general risk posed by the virus are still uncertain. Despite these limitations, the high pathogenicity observed in the mice highlights the need for extreme caution in handling novel coronaviruses and increased transparency in such research, particularly in light of the ongoing debates about C-19’s origins.

Our Thoughts
What the hell are we doing here? We’ve yet to witness any accountability for the Wuhan Lab coronavirus research linked to the pandemic. What’s more concerning is that this type of research persists, now with seemingly more hazardous strains.

Justin Kinney, an associate professor at the Simons Center for Quantitative Biology at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in the US, says that this isn’t technically gain-of-function research, seeing as it wasn’t intentional. However, we would argue, the fact that any unintentional events are occurring with this type of research, proves that governments are not to be trusted to learn from their mistakes or to implement the necessary steps to ensure they’re not repeated.

Should scientists still be working with these modified viruses in the lab?
[nemosnewsnetwork.com]