Chinese scientists working at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) — a facility long suspected of being the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic — are planning new experiments that have raised alarm among experts. Earlier this month, researchers at the WIV announced the discovery of a new virus, named HKU5-CoV-2, which shows striking similarities to the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic.

HKU5-CoV-2, found in bats, already demonstrates the potential to infect human cells and is closely related to a coronavirus that has a high fatality rate, killing up to a third of those it infects. This has led to growing concerns among independent virologists and epidemiologists about the safety of further experiments planned by the WIV on this new virus.

The WIV is infamous for its research on coronaviruses, and its proximity to the first known cases of COVID-19 in late 2019 has fueled speculation that the lab may have played a role in the pandemic’s origin. In December, a US select subcommittee concluded that the WIV was the “most likely” source of the virus, further adding to the suspicions surrounding the lab’s research activities.

Dr. Alina Chan, a molecular biologist at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, is one of the most vocal critics of the new research. Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Dr. Chan expressed her concern about the potential risks of experiments on HKU5-CoV-2, specifically the use of “humanized mice” to study the virus’s ability to cause disease. Humanized mice are genetically modified to have human-like cells or tissues, allowing researchers to study how viruses interact with human biology.

While these experiments may offer valuable insights into the virus’s behavior, Dr. Chan warned that they could be eerily similar to the experiments that may have led to the emergence of COVID-19. “After what we experienced with COVID-19, I believe there is no biosafety level adequate for such experiments in the city of Wuhan,” Dr. Chan cautioned. “If such work has to be done, it should be done at a biosafety Level 4, far away from any city center.”

The new virus, HKU5-CoV-2, was discovered by virologist Shi Zhengli, who is known for her extensive research on coronaviruses in bats. In the study published in the journal Cell, Zhengli and her team highlighted the virus’s potential to infiltrate human cells like SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind the COVID-19 pandemic. HKU5-CoV-2 is also related to the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus, another deadly animal-to-human virus that causes severe respiratory illness and can be fatal in some cases.

The Chinese researchers acknowledged the virus’s “high risk of spillover to humans,” warning that it could spread either through direct transmission or via intermediate hosts. They also hinted at plans to study the virus’s pathogenicity further, particularly in animal models such as hamsters and human ACE2 transgenic mice, which have been used in past research on coronaviruses.

While some experts have expressed concerns, others are more cautious in their assessments. Prof. Simon Clarke, a microbiologist at the University of Reading, noted that while the findings about HKU5-CoV-2’s potential to infect human cells are concerning, it should not be surprising. “This way of accessing cells is probably far more common than we realise, and the more scientists look for these things, the more examples they’re likely to find,” he said.

The ongoing debate about whether COVID-19 emerged from the Wuhan Institute of Virology or if it had a natural origin continues to spark intense discussion in the scientific community. While some researchers maintain that the virus likely jumped from an animal to a human in a natural spillover event, the fact remains that no definitive animal host has been identified for SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, reports have emerged suggesting that three WIV lab staff members fell ill with a COVID-like illness in November 2019, just weeks before the first official cases were documented.

As the WIV continues to pursue further research on potentially dangerous coronaviruses, the international community is left with a pressing question: Can the lab ensure the safety of its experiments, and what risks do these experiments pose for the global public? With the world still grappling with the impact of COVID-19, the stakes are higher than ever.

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