Shi Zhengli. Photo: Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV)

Chinese virologist from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) Shi Zhengli was honored as an "advanced worker of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)," the WIV announced on Friday through a post on their WeChat account. 

During the CAS 2021 annual work conference held in Beijing, Liu Lijun, director of the National Commendation and Rewarding Office of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, announced that 14 advanced collectives and 20 advanced workers, including Shi Zhengli, were honored.

Shi, dubbed as China's "Bat Woman" due to her years of research and achievements in research with bats and viruses, was praised as adhering to the scientific values of innovation, serving the country and benefiting people, and fought hard and never flinched in the face of difficulties and challenges.

Shi has been put under the spotlight of global media outlets after US President Donald Trump promoted an unsubstantiated conspiracy theory that the novel coronavirus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic escaped from Shi's lab in Wuhan, a claim which has been slammed and refuted by many scientists. 

Shi responded in July that "Trump's claim jeopardizes and affects our academic work and personal lives. He owes us an apology."

Shi has dedicated herself in the field of pathogen research of emerging infectious diseases in response to national needs since the 2003 SARS outbreak and identified "dozens of deadly SARS-like viruses in bat caves," reported CGTN.

At the early stage of the outbreak in Wuhan, Shi led her team in completing nucleic acid detection, genome sequence determination, virus isolation and cultivation, serological identification and animal infection experiments in a short period of time, confirming that the pathogen causing the outbreak in Wuhan was a novel coronavirus.

On January 12, 2020, Shi and her team, on behalf of the WIV, together with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, took the lead in submitting the virus genome sequence to the WHO to be shared globally.

After the successful cultivation of the virus, Shi organized and coordinated the development of an inactivated vaccine with Sinopharm, which was the first inactivated vaccine to enter clinical test trials in the world. 

So far, Shi has undertaken 55 scientific research projects of various kinds, including the National 973 Program, the National Science and Technology Major Program, the Science and Technology Fundamental Work Program, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences Strategic Priority Science and Technology Program, according to the WIV's introduction. 

Shi was elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology in 2019 and she has been named as advanced personnel in the anti-epidemic battle of Wuhan in October 2020.

Global Times