The coronavirus, known as GX_P2V, has been modified in China by scientists at the Beijing University of Chemical Technology. This mutant virus has acquired a genetic mutation that allows it toinfects human cells as well as humanized transgenic mice.
This work was submitted to the BioRxuv site and has not yet been reviewed by the scientific community, suggests Le Figaro. The research began in 2020, when the origin of Covid-19 was not known. The scientists subjected them to two different viruses “humanized rat”, That is, who was genetically modified To present similarities with human cells.
Therefore, researchers worked on these viruses and kept them in conditions that favored their mutation. Four mice infected with one of the two viruses named GX_P2V died. Scientists have found that Viral load was particularly high in their brains. The modified virus infects the respiratory system of mice before ascending to the nervous system.
“Very worrying” research
was asked by Le FigaroBruno Kennard, director of research at CNRS and leader of the viral replication team at the Architecture and Function of Biological Macromolecules (AFMB) laboratory in Marseille, decided to “Very worrying” research. “The balance between these scientific teachings and Extremely dangerous potential of these manipulations is very hostile,” he said.
Manipulating these viruses is reminiscent of gain-of-function experiments, which involve genetically modifying viruses to make them more infectious or more virulent. The goal of these experiments is to work on the virus to create a vaccine.
The practice of these experiments was regulated by a moratorium until 2017, but regulations vary by country. These manipulations remain prohibited in France. “No information was provided on the security level of the laboratory where the manipulation took place. The idea that this virus can escape is completely credible,” Bruno Kennard warned in Le Figaro.
