Genomic Sequencing News and Research

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Researchers develop a method to detect SARS-CoV-2 and variants simultaneously

Researchers demonstrate a method of detecting the presence and mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 virus using the smaller and cheaper Oxford Nanopore sequencer, a method they believe could make pandemic surveillance faster and cheaper.

26 May 2021

COVID-19 cases in summer 2020 was not as low as previously thought, new genome-based model suggests

Many have attributed the low number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the summer of 2020 to hot weather or increased outdoor activities. But a new study from researchers in Germany suggests this might not have been the case.

20 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617 variant shows modest resistance to vaccine-induced antibodies

The World Health Organization (WHO) has labeled the double mutant B.1.617 variant — first discovered in India —a variant of concern for its high transmission rate and ability to evade immune responses. New research posted to the preprint server bioRxiv finds B.1.617 can modestly reduce neutralizing antibody responses generated from the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

16 May 2021

A magnetofluidic platform for SARS-CoV-2 variant and respiratory pathogen detection

Recent research published on the medRxiv* server has developed a portable, magnetofluidic cartridge platform, for automated PCR testing in <30 min, for rapid multiplexed screening of pathogens. A multidisciplinary team of researchers at Johns Hopkins University and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine developed these cartridges for multiplexed detection of SARS-CoV-2 with distinctive variant mutations or with Influenza A and B.

13 May 2021

Scientists find dramatic differences between ancient gut microbiomes and modern microbes

Scientists are rapidly gathering evidence that variants of gut microbiomes, the collections of bacteria and other microbes in our digestive systems, may play harmful roles in diabetes and other diseases.

12 May 2021

The travel-related origin and spread of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.620 strain

A new preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv* server describes a new variant B.1.620, which appeared in Lithuania, and is now prevalent in several countries in Europe, as well as in central Africa.

11 May 2021

Lab reports 1st instance of SARS-CoV-2 variants affecting antigen test performance

Researchers from the US recently determined the sensitivity of the Quidel Sofia SARS Antigen FIA test (Sofia 2). They found a high viral load specimen that tested negative repeatedly while using this antigen test. The study is published on the preprint server, medRxiv.

10 May 2021

Researchers show SARS-CoV-2 genes can be integrated into the human genome

Researchers in the United States have shown that genes from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – can be integrated into the genome of infected human cells.

10 May 2021

The ancestor of SARS-CoV-2’s Wuhan strain was circulating in late October 2019

The SARS-CoV-2 was first reported in a case from Wuhan, China, in December 2021, and subsequently became the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic that is ravaging the world today. A new study in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution tracks its variants all over the world since the onset of the pandemic.

7 May 2021

Salesforce, Google, Facebook. How big tech undermines California’s public health system.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has embraced Silicon Valley tech companies and health care industry titans in response to the covid-19 pandemic like no other governor in America — routinely outsourcing life-or-death public health duties to his allies in the private sector.

6 May 2021

Researchers identify new immunotherapy treatment target for acute myeloid leukemia in children

Researchers have identified a gene expressed in children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) that could serve as a new immunotherapy treatment target, according to a new study published today in Blood Advances, a journal of the American Society of Hematology.

5 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 spike mutations during transmission among humans and to animals

A fascinating new study discusses the 40 mutations that are seen on the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein and their potential effects on viral biology.

3 May 2021

COVID-19 may not have appeared first in China, suggests new genomic study

A new study in Acta Mathematica Scientia suggests that the virus may have originated in multiple countries almost simultaneously, rather than spreading from China to the rest of the world.

3 May 2021

A new SARS-CoV-2 variant (HMN.19B) has been identified in France

New research published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s journal Emerging Infectious Diseases has confirmed the emergence of a new SARS-CoV-2 variant called HMN.19B from the viral clade 19B in France. The 19B viral clade — which includes the D614G variant — was prevalent in late 2019 but had since been rarely observed since early 2020 because of newer viral clades.

3 May 2021

Marmoset study establishes standards for the new era of biodiversity genomics

The international consortium today announces a series of publications in a special collection of Nature that resulted from the first phase of the Vertebrate Genome Project (VGP) to release 16 high quality reference genomes.

29 Apr 2021

SARS-CoV-2 clade linked to disease severity in the early phase of the pandemic

A new study in the journal JAMA Network reports on the disease severity associated with some clades of the virus, from an analysis of genomes from specimens isolated in the initial phase of the pandemic.

27 Apr 2021

First cases of B.1.1.7 variant with E484K mutation in Pennsylvania

The E484K mutation has also been found on the B.1.351 and P.1 variant, contributing to their status as variants of concern. In February 2021, Public Health England published a report of 11 B.1.1.7 genomes that also had the E484K spike mutation. Currently, there are 247 isolates of B.1.1.7 + E484K reported globally, and new research finds the first reports of it in southeastern Pennsylvania.

27 Apr 2021

Chronic SARS-CoV-2 infections favor viral adaptation, says study

A new study offers a look at how to keep these hopes alive in the current context of highly infectious variants, which often display immune escape mutations.

20 Apr 2021

1 in 6 patients with colorectal cancer found to have inherited genetic mutations

A new Mayo Clinic study bolsters evidence that colorectal cancer is often imprinted in family genes and passed on from one generation to the next.

20 Apr 2021

The shock and reality of catching Covid after being vaccinated

Robin Hauser, a pediatrician in Tampa, Fla., got covid in February. What separates her from the vast majority of the tens of millions of other Americans who have come down with the virus is this: She got sick seven weeks after her second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

17 Apr 2021

Genomic Sequencing News and Research

Researchers develop a method to detect SARS-CoV-2 and variants simultaneously

COVID-19 cases in summer 2020 was not as low as previously thought, new genome-based model suggests

SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617 variant shows modest resistance to vaccine-induced antibodies

A magnetofluidic platform for SARS-CoV-2 variant and respiratory pathogen detection

Scientists find dramatic differences between ancient gut microbiomes and modern microbes

The travel-related origin and spread of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.620 strain

Lab reports 1st instance of SARS-CoV-2 variants affecting antigen test performance

Researchers show SARS-CoV-2 genes can be integrated into the human genome

The ancestor of SARS-CoV-2’s Wuhan strain was circulating in late October 2019

Salesforce, Google, Facebook. How big tech undermines California’s public health system.

Researchers identify new immunotherapy treatment target for acute myeloid leukemia in children

SARS-CoV-2 spike mutations during transmission among humans and to animals

COVID-19 may not have appeared first in China, suggests new genomic study

A new SARS-CoV-2 variant (HMN.19B) has been identified in France

Marmoset study establishes standards for the new era of biodiversity genomics

SARS-CoV-2 clade linked to disease severity in the early phase of the pandemic

First cases of B.1.1.7 variant with E484K mutation in Pennsylvania

Chronic SARS-CoV-2 infections favor viral adaptation, says study

1 in 6 patients with colorectal cancer found to have inherited genetic mutations

The shock and reality of catching Covid after being vaccinated

Sequencing & Genomics: Elevating Science and Healthcare eBook

Achieving and maintaining ISO 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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