The Wuhan Institute of Virology — already at the center of controversy surrounding the origins of COVID-19 — appears to have been carrying out gain-of-function research on monkeypox virus, according to reports citing peer-reviewed research published in the journal Virologica Sinica.
Gain-of-function research involves manipulating viruses to make them more infectious or lethal to humans — the same type of research that many scientists believe may have led to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fact that this research was being conducted at the same facility that has been linked to the COVID outbreak raises serious questions about oversight and safety protocols.
The research aimed to identify mutations that could enhance the virus’s ability to infect human cells — precisely the kind of work that could, accidentally or deliberately, create a more dangerous pathogen.
Despite repeated denials from Chinese authorities, mounting evidence suggests the Wuhan lab was engaged in extensive research on coronaviruses and poxviruses with potential pandemic potential. U.S. government agencies, including the NIH and USAID, funded research at the facility through intermediary organizations.
The pattern of dangerous viral research being conducted with minimal oversight, funded by Western taxpayers, represents a systemic failure of biosecurity governance.
