Illegal Lab Found Full of Bioengineered Mice and Infectious Diseases

• Investigators uncovered an illegal medical lab in a warehouse in Fresno, California.
• The lab was filled with bioengineered mice and samples of diseases like COVID-19, HIV and herpes.
• About 1,000 rats were found, of which nearly 200 were already dead. The rest were euthanized.

In an illegal California lab that holds about 1,000 bioengineered mice, improperly stored tissue samples were tested and found to contain infections such as HIV and hepatitis. Officials have expressed concern about the findings.

“This is an extraordinary situation. In my 25 years in government, I have never seen anything like this,” Reedley city manager Nicole Ziba said, according to local news outlets. . Kron 4.

The makeshift lab contained incubators, medical lab supplies, hundreds of mice, and about 30 refrigerators and freezers (some of which were not working). Several disease samples tested from the lab contained infectious agents such as herpes, coronaviruses, E. coli and malaria. SFist report.

Wang Zhaolin, head of Prestige Biotech, the company that runs the lab, reportedly told investigators that the mice in the warehouse had been genetically engineered to catch and spread the novel coronavirus. san joaquin valley sun.

The warehouse came under investigation in March after local law enforcement discovered a garden hose attached to the back wall of the building. A search by the authorities also found medical devices believed to have been manufactured on site, including a new coronavirus infection and a pregnancy test. NBC News report.

“Several containers of liquid and various instruments were found in certain rooms of the warehouse,” NBC reported in court documents related to the incident. “Fresno County Public Health staff also observed thousands of vials containing blood, tissue and other bodily fluid samples, serum, unlabeled bodily fluids and suspected biological material.”

Nearly 800 of the rats found in the warehouse were euthanized by authorities, according to NBC. About 175 more mice were already dead when they were found.

“There were more than 800 different chemicals in different bottles of different acids at the scene,” said Fresno County Public Health Deputy Director Joe Prado, as reported by KRON4. “Unfortunately, many of these are classified as unknown chemicals.”

NBC reported that all biohazardous materials in the lab had been destroyed as of July 7, but investigations into the lab’s origins and activities are still ongoing.

The CDC and Fresno County Public Health did not immediately respond to an insider’s request for comment.