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Kudriavcev, Aleksandr & Vakhrusheva, Anna & Shneider, Alexander. (2021). The possible laboratory origins of SARS-CoV-2, the likelihood of a subsequent, deadlier COVID pandemic, and necessity to introduce blockchain practices for verifying and tracking scientific data. 10.13140/RG.2.2.28370.07360/1.
Abstract
Attempts to identify the source of the SARS-CoV-2 strain could lead to incorrect results because the datasets under analysis were ”masked” with sequences uploaded in 2020, although allegedly received years prior. The highly unusual delays came from labs suspected of having a vested interest in promoting the conclusion that the virus was of natural origin. We used BLAST algorithms to analyze all coronaviridae-related sequences uploaded to the NCBI protein and nucleic acid sequences database no later than the first reported COVID case. Our analysis revealed a 2008 PNAS paper describing the rational design of the Bat-SARS-CoV recombinant clone, effectively transforming a Bat-SARS-like strain into one that is infectious for human cells in vitro and mice in vivo. The Bat-SARS-CoV recombinant clone was engineered via the recombination of Spike proteins taken from a wild-type Bat-SARS-like receptor-binding domain (RBD) and an RBD-domain of the human SARS-CoV-1 (Urbani) strain. The sequence similarity between the strains, especially in parts of the Spike RBD protein, suggests a high likelihood that the SARS-CoV-2 strain initially appeared as a reproduction of the PNAS paper in another lab without the physical transfer of material. Importantly, the MERS-CoV sequences responsible for MERS infectivity have also been published. Should these sequences be maliciously applied using identical techniques, it may cause a deadlier pandemic. Thus, it is imperative to revisit current practices for scientific funding and publishing. The international introduction of obligatory blockchain tracking of receiving, uploading, and exchanging research data may be a strategy to alleviate the existential problem.