BOSTON, MA – Boston University is under fire for performing what some experts are calling gain-of-function research after a report that they have successfully made the COVID-19 virus even more deadly and more immune to vaccines.
“We generated chimeric recombinant SARS-CoV-2 encoding the S gene of Omicron in the backbone of an ancestral SARS-CoV-2 isolate and compared this virus with the naturally circulating Omicron variant,” researchers said in a paper that was not yet peer-reviewed. “The Omicron S-bearing virus robustly escapes vaccine-induced humoral immunity, mainly due to mutations in the receptor-binding motif (RBM), yet unlike naturally occurring Omicron, efficiently replicates in cell lines and primary-like distal lung cells.”
Boston University’s National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories achieved the creation of a deadlier COVID-19 virus mutation by removing an omicron variant spike protein, attaching it to a virus of the original COVID-9 strain from Wuhan in the early days of the pandemic.
According to the researchers, the new virus strain has an 80% kill rate.
The university lashed out saying reports claiming reports from major media outlets are ‘false and inaccurate and that there is no gain of function research going on.
“First, this research is not gain-of-function research, meaning it did not amplify the Washington state SARS-COV-2 virus strain [from 2020] or make it more dangerous,” Boston University responded in a statement. “In fact, this research made the virus replicate less dangerous.”
The university maintains their research will help develop more diagnostic and management strategies in the future.
The researches claimed the newly created strain effectively killed 80% of mice in a lab setting.
The research was condemned by many pundits and social media users.
“This research must stop immediately. It is unconscionable that NIH sponsors this lethal gain of function virus research through Boston University and EcoHealth Alliance in densely populated areas, creating potential to kill more people than any singular nuclear weapon,” U.S. Senator Dr. Roger Marshall.
“Remember when the idea of scientists bioengineering COVID was considered an absurd, and frankly racist, conspiracy theory? Well now they’re bragging about it. This will certainly end well,” said Spike Cohen.
“This should be totally forbbiden, Its playing with fire. Boston University CREATES new Covid strain that has an 80% kill rate,” said Professor Schmuel C. Shapira, head of Israel’s Institute for Biological Research and a retired Israeli Army Colonel.