British scientists ‘risked creating a more lethal variant’ during pandemic

Experiments using delta and omicron strains together were particularly dangerous, expert claims

BRITISH scientists carried out experiments that risked creating more dangerous variants during the pandemic, it has been claimed.

In testing led by Imperial College London, and funded by the UK Health Security Agency, cells were infected with delta and omicron at the same time to see which had a competitive advantage.

Anton van der Merwe, professor of molecular immunology at Oxford University, said that such experiments risked the two variants combining into something “more lethal” that could have infected scientists or leaked from the lab. “Coronaviruses like Sars-CoV-2 are well known to ‘evolve’ by exchanging genetic material when two distinct viruses infect the same cell,” he said.

“This makes it much more likely that these strains will ‘recombine’ and create a more dangerous variant, which could infect those doing the experiments, who could then spread it into the community.”

Prof van der Merwe said using delta and omicron was particularly risky because they were from different lineages and had more differences than those closer to the original Wuhan strain.

Imperial defended the experiments, which took place in London, arguing they were needed to inform the pandemic response, and said they were carried out under high biosafety standards.

A spokesman for Imperial said: “This Government-backed research used viruses no more pathogenic than those already circulating within the population and will provide crucial insights that support government decisionmaking on how to manage the pandemic. It was conducted in a biosafety level-three laboratory in line with strict government regulations, and received ongoing approval from the Health and Safety Executive.”

Since the start of the pandemic there have been fears that Covid-19 leaked from a lab in Wuhan, where researchers were carrying out experiments on bat coronaviruses. In recent decades lab leaks have allowed the escape of smallpox, swine flu, Sars and anthrax, as well as foot and mouth disease.

This week, a report by King’s College London warned that labs containing dangerous pathogens are increasing, with three-quarters of maximum-security facilities now located in urban areas, increasing the risk of a leak.

Report authors said that many countries were conducting “risky research” that could lead to the “release of a pandemic-capable pathogen”.

Dr Filippa Lentzos, co-director of the Centre for Science and Security Studies at King’s, said: “There has been a global boom in construction of labs handling dangerous pathogens, but not accompanied by sufficient biosafety and biosecurity oversight.”