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EXCLUSIVE: Wuhan’s ‘Bat Woman’ Runs A New Lab Creating Coronaviruses That Can Infect Humans. U.S. Tax Dollars Are Still Supporting Her Work...Fauci’s former agency is the source of funds.
nataliegwinters.substack.com ^ | August 11, 2026 | Natalie Winters

Posted on 08/11/2026 9:08:04 AM PDT by Red Badger

Shi Zhengli is recruiting researchers for “pathogen discovery/coronavirus” and “cross-species infection risk” work. NIH-backed scientists continued collaborating with her after COVID, including on research using materials she supplied from her new Chinese laboratory.

Shi Zhengli, the Chinese virologist whose years of bat coronavirus research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology made her one of the most scrutinized scientists in the world after COVID-19, did not disappear.

She moved on to another powerful Chinese state laboratory, where she is now helping train a new generation of coronavirus researchers.

Chinese-language records reviewed for this report show Shi is currently affiliated with Guangzhou Laboratory, a national laboratory established in 2021 that describes itself as part of China’s strategic scientific and technological apparatus for combating respiratory diseases. Her current research profile focuses on discovering new viruses in bats and other wildlife, studying their biological characteristics, and investigating the mechanisms that allow viruses to jump between species.

Even more striking is what Guangzhou Laboratory is recruiting scientists to do under Shi today.

A 2026 doctoral recruitment notice lists Shi as an adviser in pathogen biology with a research concentration explicitly described as “pathogen discovery/coronavirus.”

Another 2026 doctoral program, jointly operated by Guangzhou Laboratory and the Wuhan Institute of Virology, lists Shi as an adviser for “pathogen discovery and cross-species infection risk research.” Students in the program conduct their coursework primarily through the Wuhan Institute of Virology before carrying out most of their scientific research and dissertation work at Guangzhou Laboratory.

In other words, Shi has not simply continued her old line of work. Chinese government institutions are actively building a new pipeline of researchers around it.

And American taxpayer-funded scientists have continued working within Shi’s research orbit after COVID.

NIH-Backed Scientists Continued Coronavirus Research With Shi

In 2024, Shi was among the authors of a major Nature study titled “Design of customized coronavirus receptors”. Her affiliations on the paper included both the Wuhan Institute of Virology and Guangzhou Laboratory.

The study developed engineered receptors that allowed researchers to study a range of coronaviruses. Among the experiments, researchers used a customized receptor to rescue wild-type and fluorescently tagged HKU5-1 coronavirus and to isolate an HKU5 coronavirus from bat samples.

The study was not funded exclusively by China.

Its acknowledgments list multiple awards from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, including P01AI167966, DP1AI158186 and contract 75N93022C00036, along with NIH instrumentation grant S10OD032290. Those American awards were credited to University of Washington coronavirus researcher David Veesler.

NIH records identify P01AI167966 as an NIAID-supported University of Washington project. The Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease also identifies 75N93022C00036 as federal NIAID funding.

NIH-Backed Coronavirus Research Used Material Supplied By Shi From Guangzhou

An even cleaner connection appeared in a 2025 Nature Microbiology study examining MERS-related bat coronaviruses and their ability to use ACE2 receptors.

The acknowledgments state that researchers received ACE2 plasmids from “Z.-L. Shi (Guangzhou National Laboratory)” for use in the study.

The very same study acknowledges NIAID support through P01AI167966, DP1AI158186 and 75N93022C00036, again awarded to Veesler.

That produces a remarkably straightforward fact:

NIH-backed coronavirus research published in 2025 used research materials supplied by Shi Zhengli from Guangzhou National Laboratory.

The paper examined MERS-related coronaviruses, including whether they could use ACE2 receptors from different species. Researchers reported that one virus tested, EjCoV-3, was capable of using human ACE2 for entry, although the study described that usage as relatively weak or suboptimal.

Shi Is Still Studying Bat Coronaviruses That Can Use Human ACE2

Shi’s current work makes those post-COVID collaborations more consequential.

In September 2025, Guangzhou Laboratory published an account of a scientific presentation by Shi on the entry pathways and pathogenicity of bat SARS-related coronaviruses.

According to the laboratory, Shi discussed four bat SARS-related coronaviruses that used human ACE2 more efficiently than bat ACE2. Her team also developed organoid-based systems to assess infection and cross-species transmission risk.

The laboratory further reported that researchers conducted experiments in human-ACE2 transgenic mice, finding that bat and pangolin SARS-related coronaviruses could infect the animals and cause lung injury. Guangzhou Laboratory said their pathogenicity was lower than that observed with SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2.

Shi was also the senior contact on a 2025 Cell paper reporting that a bat coronavirus known as HKU5-CoV lineage 2 could use human ACE2 as a cell-entry receptor. The researchers reported infection in human ACE2-expressing cell lines as well as human respiratory and intestinal organoid models.

From Wuhan To Guangzhou

The public debate over American funding of coronavirus research in China has overwhelmingly focused on the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the grants that predated the COVID-19 pandemic.

The newer record raises a different question.

To what extent has this financial relationship continued and - more importantly - did the U.S. government learn anything from COVID-19?


TOPICS: Conspiracy; Health/Medicine; History; Military/Veterans
KEYWORDS: covidtruth; substackloser

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To: WomBom

Better yet, put out a contract to hit her and make it look like a lab accident.


21 posted on 08/11/2026 9:43:54 AM PDT by atomic_dog
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To: Red Badger

BatSh^% crazy!


22 posted on 08/11/2026 9:44:42 AM PDT by BFW
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To: Red Badger

She make you sick long time...


23 posted on 08/11/2026 9:47:16 AM PDT by Resolute Conservative
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To: Carry_Okie

Clearly, Fauci needs his comeuppance, but rather than focusing entirely on 2020 and 2021, we need to consider what others around the world learned from the COVID experience. It seems to me that N. Korea and Iran particularly would have seen that as an object lesson indicating that they were wasting money on nuclear weapons that they should be directing to bioweapons. What have we done to improve our intelligence as to what efforts are being made in these fields, and what has been done, as a matter of public health intelligence, to improve early warning of emerging epidemics?

For Fauci, the question I have is why was it considered necessary to fund the gain-of-function research? Was the assumption that the Chinese were going to do it anyway and that by funding and collaborating we had a presence in the game that allowed us some degree of monitoring? If that is not it, then I have no idea why he would have facilitated it.


24 posted on 08/11/2026 9:48:45 AM PDT by Wally_Kalbacken
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To: Red Badger

This is state of the art dual use bioweapons research.

Why in the world are we doing technology transfer of bio weapon development technology to the Chinese CCP

The funding levels are not particularly relevant or indicative of the seriousness of the levels of the technology being transferred because the Chinese military will co fund or underwrite the research just to obtain access to the technology and the research methods used

A quick read of the EcoHealth Alliance DARPA DEFUSE proposal for the PREEMPT program that was the de facto work plan for the Covid-19 virus documents that the collaboration between Wuhan Lab, EcoHealth and UNC’s Ralph Baric program had extensive pre existing SARS COVID virus research and and a comprehensive pre existing spike protein development portfolio.

This demonstrates that the Covid gain of function / bio weapon predated the DEFUSE proposal and was already in a very advanced and ongoing stage of development when EcoHealth received gain of function funding from Fauci

In fact, there are quotes from Dr Ralph Baric in technical conferences that his team had bioengineered SARS /Covid viruses with 60% mortality rates in humanized mice models.

Baric also stated in conference that the next big pandemic was going to be a huge money making opportunity for those who were well prepared and well placed to exploit the opportunity and that he had his plan in place to make his fortune in the next pandemic

Even more interesting is the fact that in his recent “ interview “ (read deposition) by Rand Paul DHS Fauci investigation, Dr Baric disclosed that he has a relationship with Gilead Sciences and that he was the individual who recommended Gilead’s Remdesivir to high level officials at the NIH and CDC as a treatment for Covid-19 in Jan 2020!at the start of the pandemic

So many coincidental coincidences in the COVID -19 debacle that it can boggle the minds of even the sharpest Pangolins


25 posted on 08/11/2026 9:54:32 AM PDT by rdcbn1 (..when poets buy guns, tourist season is over................Walter R. Mead)
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To: exnavy

Even with the alleged missile shortage, maybe we can spare a few. 🚀🚀🚀🚀


26 posted on 08/11/2026 9:55:24 AM PDT by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. )
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To: rdcbn1

“In politics, there are no ‘coincidences.” - FDR.......


27 posted on 08/11/2026 9:56:31 AM PDT by Red Badger (Iryna Zarutska, May 22, 2002 Kyiv, Ukraine – August 22, 2025 Charlotte, North Carolina Say her name)
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To: Wally_Kalbacken
For Fauci, the question I have is why was it considered necessary to fund the gain-of-function research?

The proffered rationale was that creation of bioweapons is necessary for devising means to counter them. I think they're lying.

28 posted on 08/11/2026 10:21:40 AM PDT by Carry_Okie (The tree of liberty needs a rope.)
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To: Red Badger

Are we “allowed” already to mention Chinese virus? Remember when Trump was bashed on 2020?


29 posted on 08/11/2026 10:22:50 AM PDT by Words Matter
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To: Pearls Before Swine

Don’t worry, I’m sure there will be another “investigation” by our gutless leaders


30 posted on 08/11/2026 10:25:35 AM PDT by unixfox (Abolish Slavery, Repeal the 16th Amendment)
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To: Red Badger

Folks need to be eyes wide open regarding underfunded liabilities. America’s underfunded liabilities are approaching 300 trillion.There simply is not enough Gubmint money to pay SS, Medicare, Medicaid, etc. Either the system collapses, or they keep coming up with unique ways to cull the 65+ population, and weaken the rest of us so we don’t make it to 65. Always remember…Fauci was a government employee.


31 posted on 08/11/2026 10:26:51 AM PDT by Jan_Sobieski (Sanctification;)
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To: Red Badger

bookmark.


32 posted on 08/11/2026 10:28:04 AM PDT by dadfly
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To: Red Badger

“Fauci’s former agency is the source of funds.”

Who is currently in charge of that agency?

Who appointed that person?


33 posted on 08/11/2026 10:28:23 AM PDT by JSM_Liberty
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To: Red Badger

Rather obviously, I would think, the Deep State is VERY deep. I cannot believe that RFK Jr. would knowingly continue doing this. There seems to be no alphabet agency in DC that is not swarming with bureaucrats who are part of the Deep State.


34 posted on 08/11/2026 10:36:35 AM PDT by Empire_of_Liberty
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To: Red Badger

.


35 posted on 08/11/2026 10:44:07 AM PDT by sauropod (Make sure Satan has to climb over a lot of Scripture to get to you. John MacArthur Ne supra crepidam)
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To: Red Badger

Sum Ting Wong.


36 posted on 08/11/2026 10:48:39 AM PDT by Texas Eagle (If it wasn't for double-standards, Liberals would have no standards at all. )
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To: Red Badger

One well aimed cruise missile could solve this problem.


37 posted on 08/11/2026 10:56:02 AM PDT by Grim (Michael Moore is a big fat pig.)
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To: Grim

Actually, there is very little we can do at this point

It comes down to know how and we have transferred the knowledge to China and it cannot be reeled in

All we can do at this point is stop the bleeding


38 posted on 08/11/2026 11:59:26 AM PDT by rdcbn1 (..when poets buy guns, tourist season is over................Walter R. Mead)
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To: ConservativeMind

“Wasn’t this the lady who was “silenced” by China after reporting the origin of SARS-Cov-2, at the very beginning?”

That was a story that was circulating here.

But ‘Bat Lady’ Shi has consistently argued that her Wuhan lab was not the source of the virus. She says that the two Wuhan wet markets are where it started.

I don’t know how the idea that she was silenced got going since she’s been saying the same thing from the start.

Ironically enough Fauci’s diary shows him doubting the Bat Lady’s Wet Market origin theory.


39 posted on 08/11/2026 12:03:13 PM PDT by Pelham (President Eisenhower. Operation Wetback 1953-54)
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To: Red Badger

40 posted on 08/11/2026 12:19:52 PM PDT by Libloather (Why do climate change hoax deniers live in mansions on the beach?)
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