NIAID/NIH and USDA Fund Bioengineered Chimeric Influenza Viruses Built Using Pandemic H1N1 Components: Journal 'Science Advances'
100% infection in exposed animals—mutations associated with immune evasion arise.
A new peer-reviewed study published last month in Science Advances says that U.S. government–funded researchers engineered chimeric influenza viruses using components from the 2009 pandemic H1N1 strain—and achieved a 100% infection rate in exposed animals.
The engineered viruses mutated during infection, generating changes associated with immune evasion.
The work was funded in part by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), along with support from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The research was conducted within the Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Response (CEIRR/CEIRS), a federally backed network focused on influenza surveillance, vaccine development, and pandemic preparedness.
You can contact NIAID here, the NIH here, HHS here, and the USDA here to voice opposition to taxpayer-funded chimeric research on pandemic pathogens—particularly after Congress, the White House, the Department of Energy, the FBI, the CIA, and Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND) all acknowledged that the deadly COVID-19 pandemic was “likely” the result of a laboratory incident.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump recently signed legislation into law allocating at least $5.5 billion in taxpayer funding for a future influenza pandemic.
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Lab-Constructed Influenza Viruses Built by Design
Researchers used reverse genetics to construct reassortant—also known as chimeric or “Frankenstein”—influenza viruses.
These lab-built viruses combined genetic segments from different strains:
A 1968 H3N2 influenza backbone
Surface proteins (HA and/or NA) from the 2009 pandemic H1N1 virus
The result was engineered hybrid virus configurations that do not exist in nature: rsH1N2, rsH3N1, and rsH1N1.
100% Infection Rate in Exposed Animals
In controlled experiments, ferrets were deliberately exposed to these engineered viruses as well as to pandemic H1N1.
All directly exposed animals became infected and shed replicating virus.
Each experimental group (n=4) reached a 100% infection rate following exposure, confirming that the engineered viruses were fully infectious in a mammalian model.
The animals were not simply exposed—they became active hosts, producing measurable viral loads in their respiratory tracts.
Airborne Transmission Between Mammals Confirmed
Following infection, researchers tested whether the viruses could spread.
Infected ferrets were placed near uninfected animals without direct contact, allowing only respiratory transmission.
The results showed:
Transmission occurred through respiratory droplets/aerosols
Spread ranged from 0% to 100% depending on prior immunity
This confirms that the engineered viruses retained the ability to move between mammals via the air—one of the defining characteristics of influenza viruses with pandemic potential.
Mutations Emerged During Infection
Although the Frankenviruses were engineered through segment swapping—not mutation design—the study notes that mutations arose during replication in animals.
Specifically, substitutions in the hemagglutinin (HA) protein—E171K and G172E—appeared across experimental groups.
E171K and G172E mutations are associated with antigenic change and immune escape, meaning the virus altered key surface structures that antibodies target, allowing it to evade prior immune recognition and continue infecting the host.
Bottom Line
U.S. government–funded researchers engineered chimeric influenza viruses using components from a known pandemic strain, then proved those lab-built viruses can fully infect mammals, spread via respiratory transmission, and mutate during infection—mutations previously associated with antigenic change and immune escape.
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And the original...
Yes, the 1918 influenza produced the H1N1 strain.
The 1918 flu was an unusually severe and deadly strain of H1N1 swine influenza, which killed from 17 to 50 million people worldwide between 1918 and 1920. It was one of the deadliest pandemics in human history.
All caused by the forced vaccinations of soldiers!
Guess they were disappointed that there were so few actual infections with the original pandemic, so they had to find a more effective disease to infect everyone with next time. Good job, guys! Give yourselves a raise.