Fact Check: Peter Daszak says they were not doing gain of function research.
The DARPA proposal tells us that they had already done this kind of research, and that they were intending to do more of this kind of research.
Peter Daszak testifying before the US congress.
Peter Daszak insists that they were not doing gain of function research. As soon as you add the ability for non-human viruses to dock to the human ACE2 cell, you are doing gain of function research.
Furthermore, the SARS-CoV2 sequence, with the Furin Cleavage site, shows every sign of having been engineered.
Sources:
https://theintercept.com/2021/09/23/coronavirus-research-grant-darpa/
https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/21066966/defuse-proposal.pdf
That they had already done this kind of gain of function research:
From the DARPA proposal project DEFUSE page 17.
This section describes the creation of chimeric viruses using parts of SARS-CoV that they had already done:
They combined the N-terminal domain (the part of RNA that tells the cell’s machinery to start transcribing the mRNA into a protein) of HKU3, which is a bat Coronavirus, with the SARS-CoV Receptor Binding Domain RBD (the part of a virus spike protein that enables it to “dock” with a human ACE2 cell ) with the spike protein from BtCoV 279/04, a bat coronavirus recovered in Hubei province, which is where SARS came from.
Using synthetic genomes and structure guided design, we fused the NTD of HKU3 with the SARS-CoV RBD with the remaining BtCoV 279/04 S glycoprotein molecule, introduced the chimeric S glycoprotein gene into the HKU3 genome backbone (25% different than SARS-CoV, clade 2 virus) and recovered viable viruses (HKU3-Smix) that could replicate in Vero cells.
From the research letter quoted in the DARPA proposal page 46 in the pdf (which is a copy of a research letter openly published in NATURE VOL 503 page 535)
Replacing the RBD of one SL-CoV S protein with SARS-CoV S conferred the ability to use human ACE2 and replicate efficiently in mice
(Human ACE2 mice)
https://www.nature.com/articles/nature12711
Ge, XY., Li, JL., Yang, XL. et al. Isolation and characterization of a bat SARS-like coronavirus that uses the ACE2 receptor. Nature503, 535–538 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12711
That they intended to insert human spike proteins that bind to human ACE2 to cause SARS like disease.
From the DARPA proposal project DEFUSE page 3
These QSo strain viral spike glycoproteins wil be synthesized, and those binding to human cell receptor ACE2 wil be inserted into SARSr-CoV backbones (non-DURC, non-GoF), and inoculated into humanized mice to assess capacity to cause SARS-like disease, efficacy of monoclonal therapies, the inhibitor GS-5734® or vaccines against SARS-CoV
Interestingly, Australia’s CSIRO was involved in risky research of this type as well, aerosolising the original SARS virus and the MERS virus.
Viral infection models in Eonycteris spp. (Duke-NUS) and wild-caught Rhinolaphus spp. (Wuhan Inst. Virol.) bats: To test and compare the efficacy of the immune modulating approaches above, we will use our cave-nectar bat (Eonycteris spelaea) breeding colony infected with Melaka virus (family Reoviridae) which infects this species. First, we will take wing punch biopsies from 3 individuals to sequence their ACE receptor gene. This will be inserted into human cell lines to pre-screen viral strains for binding. Those that bind will be used for in vivo experiments: We will use two coronaviruses (SARS-CoV WIV1 and MERS-CoV) in ABSL3. SARS and MERS infection studies are already underway in Eonycteris and Pteropus cell lines and primary immune cells. Our E. Spelaea colony has now reached a sustainable population for infection experiments and the ABSL3 facility has been outfitted with bat-specific cages. The planned pilot in vivo infection of Eonycteris bats with Melaka Virus and MERS wil be completed by July 2018. Previous infection studies were completed in Pteropus and Rhinolophus bats in Australia by LF- Wang at CSIRO, AHL and an additional Pteropus infection trial is currently planned through the University of Queensland in Australia. At WIV, 20 adult wild Rhinolophus spp. bats (10 of each sex) will be captured at our test cave site, housed within ABSL3; ACE2 receptor genes sequenced and used to pre-screen spikes as above, then bats will be tested using PCR and serology for current and prior exposure to SARSr-CoVs, and inoculated with WIV1, WIV16 or SHC014. For all experiments; viral loads wil be measured by qPCR, titration of produced virus, NGS transcriptomics and viral-specific nanostring probes added to the immunoprofiling panel. Antibody responses will be measured by LIPS assay, as described previously. In addition to direct in vivo delivery of ligands; aerosolized and liquid-phase deployment methods suitable for a cave-like environment will be tested, in collaboration with UNC, NWHC and PARC.
CSIRO is somewhat behind US and China; this does not appear to be genetic gain of function research, but they were at least apparently aerosolising dangerous viruses that they knew could bind with human ACE2 receptors.
It's not "Gain of Function" Research... It's a BioWeapons Development Program... Or, more likely, a parallel track of publicly cognizable work - designed to draw attention away from the CIA and DoD work, being done at Ft. Detrick, Dugway, in Georgia, Ukraine and in dozens of "classified" labs, around the world.
https://dilyana.bg/the-pentagon-bio-weapons/
http://dilyana.bg/project-g-2101-pentagon-biolab-discovered-mers-and-sars-like-coronaviruses-in-bats/
I’m tired of playing semantics. Even at the grass roots level people get uppity if you say, Pandemic or Vaccine. I don’t care if it’s called Gain of Function or Rice Crispies. I don’t care if you believe viruses exist. These fuckwads are tinkering in their Chemlabs for the express purpose of either, a) Making us sick, or, b) Making us believe they can make us sick. Call it Tiddily Winks. Who cares? They won’t stop until The Monster from the Petri Dish devours humanity. Either literally or via psyops. They all behave like Dr Frankenstein meets Josef Goebbels. The hubris laden story telling is off the charts and if not exposed and shut down we’re all destined to to suffer in perpetuity. There are too many people that at this late date still believe the TV narrative. Too many. Far too many.