SARS‐COV‐2 chimeric structure and furin cleavage site might be the result of genetic manipulation

What is it about?

Our paper discusses how the genetic structure of SARS-CoV-2 does not rule out a possible laboratory origin by showing that two main genetic features of SARS‐CoV‐2 might be the result of lab manipulation techniques and/or cell/animal passage. These two features are (1) the presence of a furin cleavage site not present in other CoVs of the same group, and (2) a receptor binding domain of possible chimeric origin. The furin cleavage site greatly broadens the types of species and organs the CoV can infect, whereas the receptor binding domain appears to be adapted to human cells the most. Our analysis contrasts the general conclusion of a natural origin of the virus as claimed by “The Proximal origin of SARS-CoV-2” published in Nature at the beginning of the pandemic outbreak and demonstrates that a possible lab origin is still an absolutely viable hypothesis.

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Photo by CDC on Unsplash

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Considering the devastating impact of SARS‐CoV‐2 and importance of preventing future pandemics, researchers have a duty to carry out a thorough and unbiased analysis of all possible SARS‐CoV‐2 origins, including a laboratory one. This possibility has been condemned as a conspiracy theory in the early stages of the pandemic but there is growing evidence that it can't be dismissed, as demonstrated by our analysis.

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