Why ‘Gain of Function’ Research Must Be Stopped: Monali Rahulkar
What we know for sure is that the Wuhan Institute of Virology had a lot of techniques by which they could manipulate a virus sequence into a living virus. There is no doubt that gain-of-function research is unethical and there is no point in doing it.
January 4, 2023 | Source: The Week | by Pooja Biraia Jaiswal
Q: Was it a lab-made-and-leaked virus?
A: As of now we do not know for sure if they have used RaTG13 sequence as the backbone for genetic engineering to convert it into a Sars-CoV-2-like virus for their experiments. What we know for sure is that the Wuhan Institute of Virology had a lot of techniques by which they could manipulate a virus sequence into a living virus.
Various publications from this lab prove that such a backbone can be converted into a living virus. The clues are there, but the main proof that such a virus existed is not with us. For foolproof evidence, the scientific community needs on-site and off-site lab records and details of the experiments they carried out.
Q: If the lab leak theory is found true, it will have a major impact on virology labs across the world.