The Wuhan Institute of Virology’s scientific journal – which has discussed controversial “gain-of-function” research – counts scientists from Dr. Anthony Fauci’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) on its editorial board.
The Editor-in-Chief of the journal – Virologica Sinica – is Shi Zhengli, the Director of the Wuhan Institute of Virology’s Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases. Eight additional researchers from the Wuhan lab – believed by many to be the source of COVID-19 – serve on the editorial board.
Another member of the journal’s editorial board, however, has ties to Dr. Fauci’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
Jens Kuhn, the Director of Virology at the Integrated Research Facility which is “part of the NIAID’s Division of Clinical Research (DCR) within NIH” according to the agency, is listed as a member of the journal’s editorial board.
His professional bio notes he “specializes in highly virulent viral human and animal pathogens” as one of “two Principal Scientists” at the NIAID-funded venture:
“I am a Principal at Tunnell Government Services (TGS), tasked as one of two Principal Scientists and the Director of Virology at NIH/NIAID/DCR’s Biosafety Level 4 facility, the Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick (IRF-Frederick) in MD, USA. I specialize in highly virulent viral human and animal pathogens, biodefense, bioengagement in the BMENA region and NIS countries, and biological arms control.”
Beyond establishing additional ties between Fauci’s NIAID and the Wuhan Institute of Virology – including multiple conferences involving scientists from both entities – the journal has also discussed gain-of-function research. These unearthed connections follow Fauci insisting his agency never participated in gain of function research at the Chinese lab during an exchange with Senator Rand Paul.
A 2017 article from Virologica Sinica notes:
“To identify the DENV entry factors, Amara’s group carried out a gain-of-function complementary DNA(cDNA) screen for host proteins that allow the minimally susceptible cell line 293T to be infectable by DENV (Carnec et al., 2015)”
“Simultaneous gain-of-function and loss-offunction assays were performed by transfecting cells with or without related miRNA inhibitors. After 24 h, Act-D was added into the culture medium,” one study notes.
Another study references the practice, commenting “two main approaches can be undertaken in such screens: gain-of-function, in which a library of overexpressed proteins is used in order to induce or amplify restriction.”
