Virology under the microscope—a call for rational discourse

Goodrum, F. et al. (2023) Virology under the microscope—a call for rational discourse. mBio, 14, e00188-23. (doi: 10.1128/mbio.00188-23) (PMID:36700642) (PMCID:PMC9973315)

Abstract

Viruses have brought humanity many challenges: respiratory infection, cancer, neurological impairment and immunosuppression to name a few. Virology research over the last 60+ years has responded to reduce this disease burden with vaccines and antivirals. Despite this long history, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented attention to the field of virology. Some of this attention is focused on concern about the safe conduct of research with human pathogens. A small but vocal group of individuals has seized upon these concerns – conflating legitimate questions about safely conducting virus-related research with uncertainties over the origins of SARS-CoV-2. The result has fueled public confusion and, in many instances, ill-informed condemnation of virology. With this article, we seek to promote a return to rational discourse. We explain the use of gain-of-function approaches in science, discuss the possible origins of SARS-CoV-2 and outline current regulatory structures that provide oversight for virological research in the United States. By offering our expertise, we – a broad group of working virologists – seek to aid policy makers in navigating these controversial issues. Balanced, evidence-based discourse is essential to addressing public concern while maintaining and expanding much-needed research in virology.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This commentary is simultaneously published by the following ASM journals: Journal of Virology, mBio, and mSphere.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Hutchinson, Dr Edward
• Authors: Goodrum, F., Lowen, A., Lakdawala, S., Alwine, J., Casadevall, A., Imperiale, M., Atwood, W., Avgousti, D., Baines, J., Banfield, B., Banks, L., Bhaduri-McIntosh, S., Bhattacharya, D., Blanco-Melo, D., Bloom, D., Boon, A., Boulant, S., Brandt, C., Broadbent, A., Brooke, C., Cameron, C., Campos, S., Caposio, P., Chan, G., Cliffe, A., Coffin, J., Collins, K., Damania, B., Daugherty, M., Debbink, K., DeCaprio, J., Dermody, T., Dikeakos, J., DiMaio, D., Dinglasan, R., Duprex, W. P., Dutch, R., Elde, N., Emerman, M., Enquist, L., Fane, B., Fernandez-Sesma, A., Flenniken, M., Frappier, L., Frieman, M., Frueh, K., Gack, M., Gaglia, M., Gallagher, T., Galloway, D., García-Sastre, A., Geballe, A., Glaunsinger, B., Goff, S., Greninger, A., Hancock, M., Harris, E., Heaton, N., Heise, M., Heldwein, E., Hogue, B., Horner, S., Hutchinson, E., Hyser, J., Jackson, W., Kalejta, R., Kamil, J., Karst, S., Kirchhoff, F., Knipe, D., Kowalik, T., Lagunoff, M., Laimins, L., Langlois, R., Lauring, A., Lee, B., Leib, D., Liu, S.-L., Longnecker, R., Lopez, C., Luftig, M., Lund, J., Manicassamy, B., McFadden, G., McIntosh, M., Mehle, A., Miller, W. A., Mohr, I., Moody, C., Moorman, N., Moscona, A., Mounce, B., Munger, J., Münger, K., Murphy, E., Naghavi, M., Nelson, J., Neufeldt, C., Nikolich, J., O'Connor, C., Ono, A., Orenstein, W., Ornelles, D., Ou, J.-h., Parker, J., Parrish, C., Pekosz, A., Pellett, P., Pfeiffer, J., Plemper, R., Polyak, S., Purdy, J., Pyeon, D., Quinones-Mateu, M., Renne, R., Rice, C., Schoggins, J., Roller, R., Russell, C., Sandri-Goldin, R., Sapp, M., Schang, L., Schmid, S., Schultz-Cherry, S., Semler, B., Shenk, T., Silvestri, G., Simon, V., Smith, G., Smith, J., Spindler, K., Stanifer, M., Subbarao, K., Sundquist, W., Suthar, M., Sutton, T., Tai, A., Tarakanova, V., tenOever, B., Tibbetts, S., Tompkins, S., Toth, Z., van Doorslaer, K., Vignuzzi, M., Wallace, N., Walsh, D., Weekes, M., Weinberg, J., Weitzman, M., Weller, S., Whelan, S., White, E., Williams, B., Wobus, C., Wong, S., and Yurochko, A.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity > Centre for Virus Research
• Journal Name: mBio
• Publisher: American Society for Microbiology
• ISSN: 2161-2129
• ISSN (Online): 2150-7511
• Published Online: 26 January 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 Goodrum et al.
• First Published: First published in mBio 14(1):e00188-23
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License