December 6, 2024
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Wuhan virologist says there are no close relatives of the new coronavirus in his lab
Virologist Shi Zhengli, the central figure in the novel coronavirus laboratory leak theory, reveals the coronavirus sequence from the Wuhan laboratory
Chinese virologist Shi Zhengli presented evidence that his lab has not conducted research on close relatives of SARS-CoV-2.
Johannes Eisel/AFP via Getty Images
After years of rumors that it was the virus that causes COVID-19, escaped from the laboratory In China, the virologist at the center of the claims presented data on dozens of new coronaviruses collected from bats in southern China. At a conference in Japan this week, bat coronavirus expert Shi Zhengli reported that none of the viruses stored in her freezer are the most recent ancestors of the virus SARS-CoV-2.
Shi was leading coronavirus research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), a high-level biosafety laboratory, when the first coronavirus cases were reported in Wuhan. Immediately thereafter, A theory emerged It is believed that the virus was leaked from WIV either accidentally or intentionally.
Mr. Shi has consistently said that SARS-CoV-2 was never seen or studied in her laboratory. But some commentators continue to ask whether one of the many bat coronaviruses her team collected in southern China over decades is closely related to bat coronaviruses. Mr. Shi has vowed to sequence the coronavirus genome and make the data public.
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The latest analysis, which has not been peer-reviewed, includes full-genome data and some partial sequence data for 56 novel betacoronaviruses, the broad group to which SARS-CoV-2 belongs. All viruses were collected between 2004 and 2021.
“We found no new sequences more closely related to SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2,” Shi said in a pre-recorded presentation at the conference, “Preparing for the Next Pandemic: Evolution, Pathogenesis.” Ta. and Virology of Coronaviruses, in Awaji, Japan, on December 4th. Earlier this year, Shi transferred from WIV to the newly established National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Guangzhou Research Institute.
The results support her claim that there were no bat-derived sequences of the virus at the WIV laboratory that are more closely related to SARS-CoV-2 than those already described in the scientific literature. said Jonathan Pekar, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Wisconsin. Edinburgh, UK. “This confirms what she was saying, which is that she didn’t have anything very closely related, as we’ve seen over the years since then,” he said. say.
The closest known virus relatives to SARS-CoV-2 were discovered in bats in Laos and southern China’s Yunnan province, but they are believed to have diverged from a common ancestor with the virus that causes COVID-19. Years, if not decades, have passed since then. “She basically discovered a lot of what we expected,” says Leo Poon, a virologist at the University of Hong Kong.
long-standing collaboration
For decades, Mr. Shi Peter Daszakpresident of the EcoHealth Alliance, a New York City-based nonprofit organization that aims to investigate coronaviruses in bats in southern China and study the risks to humans. The work is Funded by the National Institutes of Health and the United States Agency for International Development, in May of this year. the government stopped funding the federal government The reason was that EcoHealth did not adequately supervise research activities at WIV. These activities included modifying a coronavirus associated with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) to study the potential origins of this type of virus in bats.
Over the years, Shi and Daszak have collected more than 15,000 swabs from bats in the region. The team tested them for the coronavirus and rearranged the genomes of those that tested positive. This collection expands the diversity of known coronaviruses. “She discovered a sequence that could at least provide further context to our understanding of coronaviruses,” Pekar says.
In a large-scale analysis of 233 sequences, including new and previously published sequences, Shi et al. found seven widespread lineages and evidence of viruses that extensively exchange chunks of RNA, a process known as recombination. has been identified. Daszak said the analysis will also assess the risk of these viruses jumping between people and identify potential drug targets. “Information of direct value to public health.”
Daszak said teams have experienced delays in submitting work for peer review due to funding cuts and the challenges of working across regions. Multiple U.S. government investigations into ecohealth. However, the researchers plan to submit their analysis to a journal in the coming weeks.
This article is reprinted with permission. first published December 6, 2024.
