Whole Genome Sequencing News and Research

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Emerging SARS-CoV-2 B.1.619 and B.1.620 variants in South Korea

Researchers investigate the spread and transmission ability of SARS-CoV-2 lineages B.1.619 and B.1.620 in South Korea.

9 Jan 2022

Researchers isolate Omicron variant, leveling the path to vaccine development and vaccine efficacy studies

Researchers from India have now successfully grown and isolated the Omicron variant from hamsters in vivo with further culturing in the Vero CCL-81 cells in vitro, in a step forward towards testing the effectiveness of existing SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and generation of new Omicron appropriate vaccines.

7 Jan 2022

How effective are COVID-19 vaccines against the Omicron and Delta variants?

Researchers study the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron and Delta variants.

6 Jan 2022

Hospitalization and death associated with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant compared to Delta variant

Researchers evaluate the rates of hospitalization and deaths associated with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant as compared to the Delta variant.

5 Jan 2022

The impact of natural selection on sequence diversity in SARS-CoV-2

Recent genomic analysis demonstrates that the SARS-CoV-2 genome is under two distinct selective forces.

3 Jan 2022

SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant may be less severe than the delta variant

A new study reveals that omicron infections in South Africa are associated with lower rates of hospital admissions and lower disease severity compared to beta and delta infections.

31 Dec 2021

MRNA boosters shown to increase protection against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron

Researchers evaluate vaccine effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron and Delta variants.

29 Dec 2021

Study suggests saliva swabs may be more suitable for omicron detection

New study findings reveal that saliva samples are more useful than mid-turbinate samples for the accurate detection of omicron infection.

29 Dec 2021

Newly discovered species of Enterococcus bacteria named after the John Innes Centre

A newly discovered species of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has been named after the academic institute where it was identified – the John Innes Centre.

22 Dec 2021

Cheap and accessible methods for genome sequencing will help tackle future pandemics

A worldwide consortium of scientists, led by the Earlham Institute and the University of Liverpool in the UK, mark a significant milestone in equipping researchers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with cheap and accessible methods for sequencing large collections of bacterial pathogens - at a cost of less than $10USD per genome.

21 Dec 2021

T cell responses remain broadly robust against Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2

A new study highlights the significance of robust T cell responses in preventing severe omicron infections.

16 Dec 2021

Two doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine highly effective against all SARS-CoV-2 variants

Kaiser Permanente research published on December 15, 2021 in The British Medical Journal showed 2 doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine were highly effective against all SARS-CoV-2 variants; however, vaccine effectiveness against the delta variant moderately declined with increasing time after vaccination.

15 Dec 2021

Containing a Nipah virus outbreak amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

A new study deals with a single case of Nipah virus that occurred in 2021, with no discoverable chain of transmission, apparently ending with the death of the index patient in Kerala.

15 Dec 2021

Characteristics of vaccine breakthroughs in fully vaccinated individuals in France with delta variant

In a recent observational study, scientists have described the characteristics of VBIs in fully vaccinated individuals in France.

13 Dec 2021

SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant may evade host immune responses

A recent study has demonstrated that the omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has a higher ability to evade antibody-mediated neutralization than other variants of concern.

13 Dec 2021

AlphaFold AI predicts SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant might not evade antibody neutralization

In a new study, scientists have computationally predicted the structure of the Omicron spike RBD from available sequences and explored the dynamics of antigen-antibody interactions.

8 Dec 2021

Community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 lineage with novel mutations in Florida

A new study describes the introduction and spread of a SARS-CoV-2 lineage, A.2.5 in Florida using samples from the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) Bureau of Public Health Laboratories (BPHL).

7 Dec 2021

The link between cytokine storms and cardiovascular problems in COVID-19 patients

New findings may help doctors choose effective COVID-19 treatment regimens for patients with heart complications.

6 Dec 2021

CRISPR-based DETECTR® assay for faster SARS-CoV-2 surveillance

Researchers from the USA discuss the development and validation of CRISPR-Cas12-based COVID-19 variant DETECTR® assay for the detection of SARS-CoV-2.

3 Dec 2021

Large study of plasma proteome unravels its genetic determinants and relationship with human disease

In a study published today in Nature Genetics, scientists at deCODE genetics , a subsidiary of the pharmaceutical company Amgen, demonstrate how measuring the levels of a large number of proteins in plasma at population scale when combined with data on sequence diversity and RNA expression dramatically increases insights into human diseases and other phenotypes.

2 Dec 2021