The Bill Gates Foundation awarded the University of Wisconsin–Madison a $9.5 million grant to conduct research on making the H5N1 virus transmissible to humans and other mammals.
The McCullough Foundation, led by Dr. Peter McCullough, shared on X that this funding, directed to UW-Madison and principal investigator Yoshihiro Kawaoka, involves modifying H5N1, potentially using gain-of-function techniques, to ensure it “preferentially recognizes human-type receptors and transmits efficiently in mammals.”
Similar to how bat coronaviruses were altered in laboratories to jump from bats to humans, H5N1 naturally infects birds.
Building on prior research by Ron Fouchier, who demonstrated how H5N1 could become airborne in ferrets, the UW-Madison team has identified two additional mutations necessary to make Egyptian H5N1 capable of producing mammalian-transmissible “variants.”
“This reveals that the Gates Foundation has been funding activities akin to bioterrorism by providing the framework for others who might weaponize H5N1,” the McCullough Foundation stated in a tweet addressing the unsettling implications of this research.
In 2006, Kawaoka, along with colleague Taisuke Horimoto, conducted a study focused on creating new vaccines for H5N1 influenza A.
During that period, fears of an H5N1 pandemic loomed large but ultimately failed to materialize into a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the time, both birds and humans reportedly contracted H5N1, prompting concerns about the potential for a global influenza pandemic.
Kawaoka and Horimoto underscored the urgency of developing effective vaccines, stating, “Effective vaccines against H5N1 virus are urgently needed.”
While an H5N1 pandemic never came to pass, a new narrative is unfolding.
Millions of birds have been culled across the United States due to alleged infections, and now the Gates Foundation is directing resources toward research aimed at enhancing H5N1’s transmissibility to humans.
According to UW-Madison, the five-year grant focuses on pinpointing mutations that could act as early indicators of potential pandemic influenza strains.
“Early intervention is essential for controlling influenza outbreaks,” Kawaoka explained.
“But to intervene, we need to recognize the pandemic potential of emerging viruses early on.”
A university statement highlights that avian viruses rarely infect humans or other mammals. However, it notes that sporadic mutations can alter this dynamic, creating the conditions for a pandemic.
While the exact mechanism of these mutations is left unexplained, the research aims to create an early warning system to identify such changes before they lead to global outbreaks.
The ability to predict whether a virus has pandemic potential would be an invaluable asset to global health efforts,” Kawaoka stated.”
“Intervening early with measures such as social distancing, antiviral treatments, and vaccine production could save millions of lives.”
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