Barely two months after a small group of influenza virologists lifted a moratorium on work to make the H5N1 avian flu virus as transmissible between humans as seasonal flu, researchers are at it again. Earlier this month, a Dutch scientist proposed similar experiments with other avian flu viruses, as well as the SARS coronavirus. And a fortnight ago, scientists in Germany and Switzerland reported how they had tweaked canine distemper virus to make it grow in human cells.
Governments, funders and regulatory authorities must urgently address the risks posed by gain-of-function research.
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H5N1 viral-engineering dangers will not go away : Nature News & Comment
Source: Nature
Art and Science of Laboratory Medicine
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