TheNightKing
J.A.P.A.N.
I don’t doubt it could be possible they were technically doing gain of function research, even if not according to the strict definition.
Opinion | Anthony Fauci, Rand Paul and Wuhan
Americans who dismissed the lab-leak theory have a conflict of interest.www.wsj.com
The reality is complicated. The NIH gave almost $600,000to the WIV through a nonprofit over several years to study bat coronaviruses. Mr. Paul cited a 2017 paper from WIV researchers that included experiments combining parts of viruses to study how to better infect human cells. But Dr. Fauci said the project was “judged by qualified staff up and down the chain as not being gain-of-function.”
This might be technically true, as a 2014 federal government definition describes such research as that which “increase the ability of infectious agents to cause disease by enhancing its pathogenicity or by increasing its transmissibility.” But some scientists think the government definition is too limited and can allow de facto gain-of-function research to bypass safety protocols. Rutgers molecular biologist Richard Ebright says the NIH-funded work “was—unequivocally—gain-of-function research.”
In early 2020, Dr. Fauci emailed his deputy a paper co-written by gain-of-function pioneer Ralph Baric and a Wuhan scientist. The official responded that they would “try to determine if we have any distant ties to this work abroad.” The next day Dr. Fauci organized a call with several nongovernment virologists, but the email chain after the meeting was redacted. Weeks later, a group of scientists published a letter in The Lancet condemning “conspiracy theories suggesting that COVID-19 does not have a natural origin.” Dr. Fauci and the public-health elite echoed the letter’s views for months.
Mr. Paul, excitable as he may be, is a medical doctor who did his homework. The Senator clearly sees a political benefit in hammering Dr. Fauci and China, but the celebrity scientist and his allies have obvious conflicts of interest. The Lancet letter was organized by Peter Daszak, president of the EcoHealth Alliance, which had funneled the NIH money to the WIV.
Mr. Daszak, Dr. Fauci and all researchers involved in gain-of-function research would suffer significant reputational damage and perhaps lose funding if scientific research they supported caused a pandemic. On Sunday Dr. Fauci said the research cooperation was necessary because “SARS-CoV-1 originated in China.” But exactly what did that cooperation yield?
And if this research led to COVID-19 then it should be investigated and the truth revealed. I’ve always been on the side of getting to the truth and holding people accountable.
I just don’t agree with Rand Paul’s assertion that the research led to COVID-19 based on the paper he’s referencing. That’s a bold claim and obviously political right now until more is known.
