This time scientists have new plans for their research and they will be using the lethal bird flu strain for same.

Earlier when scientists created the easy-to-spread versions of the bird flu for their research work, it sparked an outcry. This time again they are planning to run similar such experiments and that too with a more worrisome new strain.

H7N9 bird flu broke out in China this year in March. The infection has since then infected more than 130 people and killed approx 43.

It is the belief of a few of the world's leading flu researchers that their research over the genetically altered virus could help them know the facts behind the mutation of the virus. They look forward at studying how the virus turns into a big threat to people and their lives.

"We cannot prevent epidemics or pandemics, but we can accumulate critical knowledge ahead of time to help countries better prepare and respond", Mr. Ron Fouchier of Erasmus University in the Netherlands said.

In this context, a few letters were published on Wednesday in the journals Science and Nature. In the work, Mr. Fouchier and his colleagues from several different research centers in the United States, Hong Kong and Britain have minutely explained about the outlined plans of their gain-of-function research.

Researchers are hoping to find important mutations from their research to help public health officials monitor the virus' natural spread.