Scientist with Chinese Military Ties, Formerly in Winnipeg, Develops Ebola Substitute for Low-Security Laboratory
A scientist with ties to the Chinese military and a history at Canada’s main biosafety lab has been involved in creating a virus that mimics Ebola for research in lower-level safety facilities. Concerns have been raised by scientists regarding the study of dangerous viruses in lower safety conditions in Chinese labs amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Yan Feihu, who worked at the National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) in Winnipeg under Xiangguo Qiu and Cheng Keding Cheng, both fired scientists and a married couple, is credited as an author on a recent paper by Chinese researchers detailing their work on a virus linked to Ebola.
The scientists manipulated a vesicular stomatitis virus using Ebola virus glycoprotein to study Ebola in a biosafety level-2 (BSL-2) facility. This is concerning as lethal viruses like Ebola are typically studied under biosafety level-4 conditions.
The engineered virus led to the death of all healthy hamsters involved in the experiment, displaying severe symptoms akin to those seen in human Ebola patients.
Dr. Richard H. Ebright, a professor at Rutgers University, believes that while a lab leak of the new virus is unlikely to harm humans, further tests are needed to confirm its safety.
Dr. Ebright stressed the importance of verifying that the virus doesn’t pose a threat to humans before conducting further research.
During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, concerns were raised about the study of bat coronaviruses under BSL-2 conditions in China, with fears of a possible lab leak.
Emails obtained by a public health research group revealed that biosafety experts also shared these concerns about the risks posed by studying deadly viruses in lower-level labs.
There is ongoing debate about the origins of COVID-19, with conflicting assessments within the U.S. intelligence community. Some agencies believe a lab leak is the most likely origin, while others think natural exposure is to blame.
Ebola Strains
In their latest study, Chinese scientists engineered a recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus using glycoproteins from Ebola strains and Lassa virus.
The origins of the Ebola strains used in the study were not disclosed. The National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg had sent Ebola strains to the Wuhan Institute of Virology in 2019.
The list of Ebola strains sent from the Canadian lab to China included Mayinga, Sudan Gulu, GP-Ebov, and GP-Sudan, which were likely used in creating the synthetic virus.
Dr. Ebright explained that the glycoprotein plays a crucial role in determining how Ebola infects and interacts with host cells.
Efforts to contact Yan Feihu for comments on the strains used in the study were unsuccessful. The Public Health Agency of Canada, responsible for overseeing the Winnipeg lab, did not respond to inquiries.
Winnipeg Lab
Yan Feihu previously worked at the NML in Winnipeg and had an affiliation with the Chinese Academy of Military Medical Science.
He collaborated on research with former NML scientist Xiangguo Qiu, who was dismissed along with her husband Cheng Keding Cheng in January 2021 following security concerns.
Investigations revealed that Qiu and Cheng had security breaches and undisclosed ties to Chinese entities, prompting the Canadian government to release documents detailing their activities.
Despite knowing about security issues involving Qiu and Cheng, the Public Health Agency of Canada authorized the transfer of Ebola and Nipah strains to China.
According to released documents, Qiu was involved in establishing lethal pathogen programs at the Wuhan Institute of Virology before its BSL-4 certification. She facilitated the transfer of deadly viruses once the lab received its accreditation.
Government records suggest that Qiu oversaw a project at WIV involving reverse genetics to create synthetic virus strains, potentially for gain-of-function studies.
In the midst of these events, Wuhan became the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a bat coronavirus being identified as the likely source. Bat coronaviruses had been extensively studied at Wuhan labs.
