India / Coronavirus Lab Boston University America Scientist Inquiry Covid 19

New Delhi : For the last two and a half years, the corona virus has wreaked havoc all over the world. Although the cases have come down significantly after vaccination, the fear still persists. Meanwhile, scientists from Boston University of America have prepared an artificial form of corona virus in the lab, after which there was an uproar. After the study surfaced, US health officials have started investigating the matter. The National Institutes of Health told the Financial Times that its officials are investigating whether the study, which was partially funded by the US government, should have gone through additional scrutiny before proceeding.

Early versions of the study's findings, in which researchers combined a lab-grown version of the original strain of Covid-19 with the spike protein from the Omicron version, were published last Friday. Let us tell you that the Omicron variant has proved to be less lethal, but it spread quite rapidly. The new artificial strain killed 80 percent of the rats that came in contact with it. The university said it did not conduct tests to see if it spreads faster than the original strain.

NIH is investigating the whole matter

The NIH said it had not reviewed the work before proceeding, even though the researchers were using government funding. A spokesman said, "The NIH is investigating the matter to determine whether the research conducted was subject to the NIH Grant Policy Statement. Boston University, meanwhile, reported that it had to alert the NIH before acting." Because government money does not directly fund experiments, however, it was used for equipment and techniques.

'Doing such research is a risky job'

"The research was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Biosafety Committee, which includes scientists as well as members of the local community. The Boston Public Health Commission also approved the research," said a university spokesman. However, in the meantime, critics say that doing such research is risky, as it can spread infection and take the form of an epidemic. At the same time, a person said on the condition of anonymity that the corona virus may have spread from Wuhan Institute of Virology in China. At the same time, scientists say that they want to keep doing this kind of work to find out how viruses behave and whether they can pose a threat to people in the future.