US Resumes Controversial Research on Modifying Bird Blu

After 4 years of stasis, the US has approved experiments proposed by two labs related to modifying bird flu viruses to make them more infectious. The two labs given the green light were Yoshihiro Kawaoka's in UW Madison and the University of Tokyo, and Ron Fouchier's at Erasmus University Medical. In 2011, the two researchers separately announced that they had modified H5N1 avian flu to allow it to spread among ferrets. The research immediately raised concerns that the deadly flu, which previously could not spread to humans, could now bridge the mammalian gap. In 2014, similar gain of function research on SARS, MERS and influenza were placed on hold. Now, the HHS has reapproved the grants of both labs.

Part of the controversy arises in the method of approval - the HHS refused to publicize the news, and many scientists only learned of the approval through an insider at the department leaking information. Critics call for the HHS to explain why it reapproved the research after years of keeping it on ice. Other researchers expressed irritation that the decision was made privately after heavy consultation of the field. The HHS has requested more stringent reporting requirements - if Kawaoka is to discover a strand with high infectivity and is transmissible respiratorily, he must report it to officials at the NIAID and his university.

For more information, see : https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/02/exclusive-controversial-experiments-make-bird-flu-more-risky-poised-resume

-Ed