Merogenomics

Much has been published and said elsewhere about UNC’s possible involvement in the pandemic’s origins. Those claims cannot be left unexamined. An independent investigation should test them and, if the evidence warrants, disprove them. Leaving allegations unresolved lets suspicion linger and risks erosion of UNC’s reputation — and North Carolina’s. A leaked 2018 DEFUSE proposal by the federal Department of Defense identified UNC Professor Ralph Baric as a participant in proposed coronavirus research involving SARS-like viruses and cleavage sites — a feature unique to Covid-19. It does not establish that the research occurred or that SARS-CoV-2 was created in a laboratory. It does warrant investigation. For several years, we have examined coronavirus research associated with UNC and its foreign and domestic collaborations. Our investigation began with COVID-19’s origins, which remain murky. It spawned a broader question: Who verifies independently that potentially high-consequence research at America’s public universities has been properly managed, disclosed and overseen? Our hypothesis about Covid-19’s origin as a well-intended vaccine gone unintentionally awry remains contested and unproven. Examining the evidence does not imply support for our theory, or any other. The evidence in its entirety deserves an open and neutral investigation. North Carolina’s biotechnology and research economy depends on trust among funders, companies, investors, researchers and surrounding communities. Credible scrutiny strengthens that trust. The fact is that Baric and his UNC laboratory spent years developing methods for studying and genetically modifying SARS-like coronaviruses, including in bats. UNC researchers also collaborated with scientists associated with the Wuhan Institute of Virology. businessnc.com/op-ed-unc-sci…