Janus - a worldwide political campaign for the osctracism of Gain-of-Function research
Gain-of-function research aims to increase the transmissibility and harmfulness of pathogens. Proponents of this research argue that these experiments are necessary to understand pathogens and their interaction with human hosts and to better understand potential future pandemics. In this way, they say, we should be better prepared if viruses happen to appear in the nature with characteristics similar to the artificially created viruses.
Based on the symbolic meaning of the Janus face, the opinions about gain-of-function research are characterized by ambiguity. In terms of enhanced transmissibility, the genetic manipulation of viruses creates an enormous potential for triggering a pandemic, which can be caused by laboratory accidents or inadequately maintained safety standards. Because of this, gain-of-function research is extremely controversial in the scientific community. Responsible scientists have been pointing out the risks of this research for over a decade and the practical benefits do not outweigh the risks of accidental or intentional release of pathogens.
Contrary to the theory that the point of origin of the coronavirus pandemic was an animal market in the center of the city of Wuhan, where an accidental transmission of coronaviruses from animals to humans took place, both the number and quality of concrete evidence points to such a laboratory accident as the trigger of the pandemic. According to the research of Prof. Roland Wiesendanger, SARS-COV2 originated in a laboratory. Read the study and form your own opinion. You can find the study here: Origin of the Coronavirus Pandemic.
In a high-security biotechnology laboratory in the center of the Chinese city of Wuhan, a bat coronavirus has been genetically modified so that it can dock particularly well with the ACE2 receptors of the human cell. Many of our body cells have these ACE2 receptors. This lab has also incorporated an unusual furin cleavage site in the spike protein of SARS viruses, which provides greatly increased infectivity.
In Wuhan, Chinese, Europeans, and Americans collaborated and funded this research together. The Wuhan lab provided a good opportunity to dodge the ban on gain-of-function research under Barack Obama in the United States. Since there is no one hundred percent protection and this exposes humanity to a great threat, we see it as an important task to outlaw such experiments.
In February 2022, 47 scientists from around the world published the Hamburg Declaration and are asking people worldwide to co-sign this declaration and join a worldwide movement to outlaw genetic modification of viruses. If you want to contribute to the global end of high-risk gain-mutation or gain-of-function research with global pandemic potential, please join the signature collection.
Together with three international scientists, Prof. Dr. Wiesendanger has published a call for the establishment of an international regulatory body to regulate and control gain-of-function research on dangerous pathogens with global pandemic potential (Link). International regulation of this type of research is highly urgent, especially in light of new insights into the origins of the current pandemic, and concerns everyone on our planet, since pandemics are neither localized nor can they be contained afterwards.
Hamburg Declaration
Call for a global end to high-risk "Gain-of-Function"-Research on pandemic pathogens
Conscious of the mission and responsibility of science and research to serve the welfare of humanity, to strive for truth, and to communicate the knowledge gained to the general public, the signatories of this statement wish to call attention to a major threat to human existence that has arisen in recent years as a result of novel bioengineering techniques to modify dangerous pathogens.
Through what is generally understood as “gain-of-function” research, naturally occurring viruses are artificially adapted through changes in gene sequence to facilitate their entry into human cells, either via direct gene editing or simply via accelerated evolution in a process called passaging. This creates an enormous potential for a human pandemic, which responsible scientists and researchers have repeatedly pointed out over the past decade. In recent years, such research has been conducted on various highly dangerous pathogens such as avian influenza viruses and SARS-type coronaviruses. Much of this work has been done as part of publicly funded research projects.
The current coronavirus pandemic clearly shows what happens when pathogens are extremely easily transmitted from person to person. Millions of people have died and the livelihoods of billions of people are threatened or have been lost altogether. This enormous devastation occurred even though the mortality rate of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is comparatively low, at a level of around one percent. However, experiments are currently underway in various laboratories around the world in which much more dangerous viruses such as MERS, Ebola or Nipah viruses are being manipulated via gain-of-function.
Unfortunately, no biotechnology laboratory in the world is safe enough to guarantee that such enhanced viruses will not escape, especially given the functions that may be purposely or accidentally gained and which are often difficult to predict. A catastrophic biosecurity breach with such viruses could be fatal for a substantial proportion of the world population, especially if the transmissibility of highly dangerous viruses via the human respiratory tract is facilitated by genetic modification or some other means.
We as scientists are well aware of the importance of the freedom of science and research, but we nevertheless appeal to all governments in the world to stop such dangerous “gain-of-function” experiments. The risk of a global pandemic associated with this extreme type of research and the potential for the extinction of large portions of the world population is simply
not tolerable and never should have been. Additionally we demand that such termination be supervised and continuously monitored by an independent international regulatory agency.
Regardless of the particular form of constitution and government a country may have, every leader must act responsibly and contribute not only to the welfare of the population of his or her own country, but also to that of mankind as a whole. Human beings have learned to intervene in the basic molecular building blocks of nature; this creates many opportunities to preserve lives, but als new ways to terminate them accidentally. Let us take this responsibility seriously before it is too late.
You want to join the Janus Campaign and the demand of the Hamburg Declaration?
Building on the demand of the Hamburg Declaration
Draw attention to the threat of Gain-of-Function research
Starting a worldwide campaign
Unite scientists, politicians, lawyers and other supporters to promote the ostracism of Gain-of-Function research
Stop Gain-of-Function Research
Taking action together and prevent the potential risk of a global pandemic
Your signature for the ostracism of Gain-of-Function research!
have joined our campaign for the ostracism of Gain-of-Function Research
