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Slack / Private Message Drop, p.687 [SLACK_000901] · slack_pm:msg:07200

Date: 2021-04-07 18:46
Type: chat message · slack
recipient: Kristian G. Andersen, Edward C. Holmes, Andrew Rambaut
speaker: Robert F. Garry
Topics: Gain-of-function research

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It's more than just GOF research though. It's all work on deadly pathogens. I think that the fight over shutting down work on viruses is a fight worth having.

In context

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2021-04-07 18:21 Edward C. Holmes open

"Did you ever run into a person called Yang Guoxiang, Senior Engineer, Hubei Wildlife Epidemic Source and Disease Surveillance Center - he was on the China side of the China-WHO study team. Stopped by his rescue center yesterday but he wasn't around. The "ayi" at the gate was kind enough to give me his mobile number though. This place is also a wildlife rescue center. It is also right next to the zoo. Some of these wildlife rescue centers inother parts of the country have been very problematic. There's been an ongoing case of an NGO in Beijing suingone of these places [they're affiliated with the Forestry and Grassland Administration, which handles wildlife protection AND use] in Guangxi. That center frequently "rescued" pangolins and then sent them out the back door tocompanies that procured licenses to hold/breed them. Most of the companies had nothing to do with wildlife. One was an energy company. Others were tied to TCM pharma. The people at the one on the outskirts of Shenzhen Iwent to before were very unfriendly when I stopped by a couple years ago and didn't want to talk about any of their activities. They did have a huge [and hugely weird] taxidermy exhibit ..."
2021-04-07 18:21 Edward C. Holmes open

Wild.
2021-04-07 18:24 Kristian G. Andersen open

Hah - that's crazy.
2021-04-07 18:24 Kristian G. Andersen open

> How did Jamie Metzl become the world 's authority on work on deadly pathogens? I'm glad he confirmed to Jim that this is all about shutting GOF down though - good to know.
2021-04-07 18:46 Robert F. Garry

It's more than just GOF research though. It's all work on deadly pathogens. I think that the fight over shutting down work on viruses is a fight worth having.
2021-04-07 18:48 Kristian G. Andersen open

It's basically virology as a whole... That'll do some good, surely.
2021-04-07 19:05 Edward C. Holmes open

Other than reducing the burden of disease and increasing the lifespan of the human species what has virology done for us?

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