Govt report flags ‘lapses’ in Nagaland bat study

NEW DELHI, JUN 15 (AGENCIES): More than a year after a probe into a filovirus study of bats in Nagaland by the Bangalore-based National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), the government has concluded that there had been “concerning lapses” in the conduct and protocols followed for the study, even as an inter-department row continues over where the bat samples should be stored.

The Hindu had first reported in February 2020 on the enquiry being initiated into whether adequate permissions had been sought for the study that had listed two scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology as “co-authors”, and was partially funded by the U.S. Department of Defence through its Defence Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA).

In 2020, a committee convened by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), which consisted of officials from the Ministries of External Affairs, Defence, Home Affairs, Health, Environment, Law, Departments of Science & Technology, Development of North Eastern Region, and others met “to streamline processes and avoid such lapses in the future,” a report prepared by the Ministry of Health said. Both the foreign-funding of the study, that cost an estimated Rs.1.9 crore, as well as concerns over the storage of the bat samples collected came up for scrutiny.

No Wuhan link: The findings of the report became significant given the debate over the origins of the Covid-19 worldwide, and handling of bat samples at the Wuhan Institute laboratory, given that both studies share one common co-author.

However, scientific experts and officials that The Hindu spoke to made it clear that the Nagaland bat study on filoviruses (Ebola and Marburg) was in no way related to the coronavirus (SARs) studies at Wuhan.

When contacted, NCBS director Satyajit Mayor said he had no knowledge of the Health Ministry’s report’s conclusions.

“We are not aware of lapses,” said Mayor, in written replies to The Hindu. “The [bat] samples we have collected are invaluable to research and understanding zoonotic pathogens,” he added, directing all further enquiries on the clearances and bat samples to the Ministry of Health.

However, both the Ministry of Health report dated February 2021, as well as a series of communications between the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and the Department of Atomic Energy, which oversaw the NCBS study in October-November 2020, referred to the issues. The Hindu has seen copies of these documents.

“The research publication raised serious concerns as the samples were collected from humans and bats with intent to test for viral pathogens and resulting antibodies of highly infectious pathogens (risk group 4 viruses). The study didn’t have the requisite approval of ICMR. Moreover, the facility at NCBS was not equipped in terms of biosafety and biosecurity to undertake such testing,” states the Health Ministry report.

“The inquiry committee (including Health Ministry and ICMR officials) visited NCBS, Bangalore as well as Nagaland to understand the work done, methodology followed, and places visited during the course of the study,” said the report, adding that they found “concerning lapses in the study protocols and procedures”. “All the lapses were discussed and appropriate actions were suggested,” it added.

Safe storage issues: Meanwhile differences over the storage of the Nagaland bat samples between the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), and the Ministry of Health continue.

The Health Ministry wants the samples of nucleic acid extract stored at the Bio Safety Level -4 (BSL-4) standard facility at the National Institute of Virology laboratory in Pune, rather than NCBS’s Bengaluru facilities, that are rated BSL-3 at present.

While the DAE contends that the samples were “non-infectious” and had been checked for the presence of filoviruses (Ebola and Marburg), the Health Ministry contends that such samples must be handled in a laboratory equipped for “biosafety and biosecurity conditions” as otherwise they can pose a “significant public health hazard”.

“The issue of bio-security comes under Department of Biotechnology, and ICMR has no business raising any concerns on a study done by NCBS, which is an institution under the Department of Atomic Energy,” said noted virologist Gagandeep Kang.

When asked, however, an official said that a 1987 Health Ministry order had designated ICMR Director General and the Health Secretary as the Chairpersons on the committee clearing all research involving foreign funding and foreign collaboration.

According to the citation in the study, named “Filovirus-reactive antibodies in humans and bats in Northeast India imply zoonotic spillover”, that was published in 2019, the research was funded by U.S. Dept of Defense, U.S. Naval Biological Defense Research Directorate, and Indian Department of Atomic Energy, and credits researchers at Duke-NUS Singapore, U.S. Uniformed Services University Speaking to ThePrint on the condition of anonymity, a senior health ministry official said “this is an old study”.

“It was over two years ago. We had asked them to develop a system where the safety parameters are obeyed and for future research there are no such safety concerns,” the health ministry official said.

Asked if the NCBS is allowed to continue with the study, he said: “The study was over long back.”

On being shown an email from Ramakrishnan that says the study is still on, the official said: “I do not know about this. My impression is that the study is over. I have to check.”

On 26 May, in reply to an emailed questionnaire from ThePrint, Dr Ramakrishnan had said: “The study is ongoing, but we do not have any definitive findings to share at this time. Further work is necessary.”

For the study, the NCBS is partnering Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), an institution funded by the US Department of Defense (DoD) and located in Bethesda, Maryland. The study itself is funded by the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), also an agency of the US DoD.

The 2019 paper on the study, published in the scientific journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, had among the co-authors Shi Zhengli of the controversial Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), who now famous around the world as ‘China’s Bat Lady’. The WIV is the focus of discussions about Covid being the result of a potential lab leak.the paper.

Source: http://www.nagalandpost.com/govt-report-flags-lapses-in-nagaland-bat-study/235020.html