Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) launched an investigation on Friday into the University of Wisconsin, Madison's, potentially dangerous research on viruses with pandemic-causing potential, bringing a conflict at the state level into the national spotlight.
Three Republican state legislators in Wisconsin introduced a bill in August that would have prevented universities and colleges from performing gain-of-function research, or manipulating existing viruses to take on other qualities, such as transmissibility.The bill would have also required researchers to submit safety reports to the state Department of Health Services 90 days prior to beginning research on potential pandemic pathogens, or PPPs.
"UW has already shown it has the capabilities to modify pathogens and make them more dangerous," Wenstrup wrote."In 2011, Dr. Yoshihiro Kawaoka revealed to the world that he had modified the deadly avian H5N1 influenza virus so it could spread between ferrets ... which most closely mimic human response to the flu. The H5N1 virus is a ‘potential pandemic pathogen,’ which through modification or handling could cause another global pandemic.
UW spokeswoman Kelly Tyrrell told Wisconsin Health News in early August that the university has “several layers of oversight” for PPP research. "No one denies there can be dangers with 'gain of function' experiments, especially if toxins and transmissible pathogens break out," said Tom Still at the Wisconsin Technology Council, opposing the proposed state legislation."Wisconsin isn’t Wuhan, however, and it doesn’t make sense to adopt a ban that would halt important research or put Wisconsin scientists at a competitive disadvantage.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
FBI updates photo of University of Wisconsin bomber wanted for 53 yearsMore than 50 years after a Vietnam War-era bombing on the University of Wisconsin campus that killed a researcher, the FBI has released age-processed photographs of a suspect who has evaded law enforcement for more than half a century and been referred to as “Wisconsin’s state ghost.”
Read more »
FBI updates photo of University of Wisconsin bomber wanted for 53 yearsMore than 50 years after a Vietnam War-era bombing on the University of Wisconsin campus that killed a researcher, the FBI has released age-processed photographs of a suspect who has evaded law enforcement for more than half a century and been referred to as “Wisconsin’s state ghost.”
Read more »
FBI updates photo of University of Wisconsin bomber wanted for 53 yearsMore than 50 years after a Vietnam War-era bombing on the University of Wisconsin campus that killed a researcher, the FBI has released age-processed photographs of a suspect who has evaded law enforcement for more than half a century and been referred to as “Wisconsin’s state ghost.”
Read more »
FBI updates photo of University of Wisconsin bomber wanted for 53 yearsMore than 50 years after a Vietnam War-era bombing on the University of Wisconsin campus that killed a researcher, the FBI has released age-processed photographs of a suspect who has evaded law enforcement for more than half a century and been referred to as “Wisconsin’s state ghost.”.
Read more »
FBI updates photo of University of Wisconsin bomber wanted for 53 yearsMore than 50 years after a Vietnam War-era bombing on the University of Wisconsin campus that killed a researcher, the FBI has released age-processed photographs of a suspect who has evaded law enforcement for more than half a century and been referred to as “Wisconsin’s state ghost.”.
Read more »
FBI updates photo of University of Wisconsin bomber wanted for 53 yearsMore than 50 years after a Vietnam War-era bombing on the University of Wisconsin campus that killed a researcher, the FBI has released age-processed photographs of a suspect who has evaded law enforcement for more than half a century and been referred to as “Wisconsin’s state ghost.”.
Read more »