There's some friction between the federal government and Boston University researchers after the publication of a new COVID-19 study.
BU said reports by some publications saying they had created a new "deadly" COVID strain are misleading and untrue.
“First, this research is not gain-of-function research, meaning it did not amplify the Washington state SARS-COV-2 virus strain (original virus from 2020) or make it more dangerous,” BU said in a statement, calling online reports Monday "false and inaccurate."
"In fact, this research made the virus replicate less dangerous," the university said.
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A university representative told NBC10 Boston Tuesday that, had their been "evidence that the research was gaining function, under both [National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases] and our own protocols, we would immediately stop and report.
The university's National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories have been studying the omicron variant and the original strain. They reportedly wanted to see if omicron, while highly contagious, was still less likely to cause severe illness.
Researchers were working with this hybrid virus where they took the spike protein of omicron and attached it to the original strain.
In mice, they found this new fused version killed 80% of mice infected. But that's lower than the 100% that died of the original strain. So their conclusion is that it's not the omicron spike protein itself that causes the virus to spread so easily, but other proteins.
BU researchers say identifying those proteins will help better diagnose and treat COVID.
"This was a statement taken out of context for the purposes of sensationalism," National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories Director Ronald Corley, also a BU professor, told the school Tuesday , “and it totally misrepresents not only the findings, but [also] the purpose of the study."
The study caught off guard the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which helps fund BU research — though not this study, the school noted, explaining that a courtesy to the incident reflected funding that helped fund tools and platforms used in the project.
The university said the research was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Biosafety Committee, which consists of scientists and members of the local community, and that the Boston Public Health Commission had also approved the research.
“Ultimately, this research will provide a public benefit, by leading to better, targeted therapeutic interventions to help fight against future pandemics," the university's statement said.
