2024-01-30 13:18:49
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A virus related to the coronavirus and 100 percent fatal in mice is being studied in China. The professional world reacts with criticism.
Frankfurt – A research team from China working with a mutated form of the coronavirus known as GX_P2V is causing a stir with its results. For the experiments, the team infected genetically modified mice with the virus – all the animals were dead within eight days. The study by a team from the Beijing University of Chemical Technology is currently only available as a preprint and has not yet been subject to expert review.
GX_P2V was first detected in pangolins in 2017. To explore the virus’s potential impact on humans, mice for the Chinese study were genetically modified to carry a protein found in humans. The results published by the research team are disturbing; the research team itself describes the death of all mice in their work as “surprisingly quick”.
A research team works in the laboratory. (Symbolic image) © IMAGO/Zoonar
Experts criticize the fatal study: “I could imagine how something like that could go wrong”
After its publication, there was strong criticism of the study in the scientific community. Francois Balloux, infectious disease specialist at University College London, expresses on X (formerly Twitter) expressed his concerns: “It’s a terrible study, scientifically completely pointless.” He adds: “I can’t see anything of vague interest that could be learned from forcibly infecting a strange breed of humanized mice with a random virus. Conversely, I could imagine how something like that could go wrong…” Balloux is referring to the persistent theory that the coronavirus could come from a Chinese laboratory.
Richard Ebright, a chemist at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, told the Daily Mail and agreed with Balloux. He expresses his concerns: “The preprint does not contain any information about the biosafety level and the safety precautions used in the research.” The lack of this information, says Ebright, raises troubling possibilities: “that some or all of the research was conducted carelessly without the minimal biosafety precautions and practices essential to research involving potential pandemic pathogens.”
Federal Ministry of Health: No acute threat to public health in Germany
In Germany, however, things are viewed more calmly. A spokesman for the Federal Ministry of Health explained at the request of fr.de from IPPEN.MEDIA: “The Federal Ministry of Health does not currently believe that research work poses an acute threat to public health in Germany.” However, the preprint information is incomplete and cannot be assessed conclusively. In general, however, studies on the pathogenicity of pre-pandemic viruses are important and are “in line with the World Health Organization’s research agenda to combat future pandemics”.
However, the Federal Ministry of Health also emphasizes: “If highly pathogenic variants emerge unexpectedly, sufficiently high biosecurity measures should be taken in the respective research institutions until the danger to humans is further clarified.” According to its own statements, the ministry has taken note of the research work and is in contact with the responsible scientific bodies.
The German virologist Martin Sturmer also sees this Focus Online no reason to worry. “I wouldn’t make it very big,” said the virologist. The GX_P2V virus was already cultivated in 2017. “To date, to my knowledge, no cases have been described in humans, so I don’t see any acute danger here,” adds the microbiologist.
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