Brittany Niccum, Beckman Coulter Life Sciences, shares how genomic sequencing and laboratory automation can monitor new variants of COVID and potentially nip them in the bud, before they transform into future pandemics.
Key highlights:
- Scientists have been pushing for methods that would enable them to predict what types of variants are the most important to watch via routine genomic surveillance.
- Automation technology has been able to shorten the sequencing length to 275 base pairs, which allows for a quicker process completion in a day instead of two.
- Scientists are pooling their samples to maximise the number of genomes they can sequence per run and more viruses can be screened at low depth.
- Genomic surveillance can identify virus variants of concern when they begin circulating, which provides officials with the best opportunity to stem their spread before they sweep across the world.
Since 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has been attacking humans. The virus’ survival depends on its ability to copy its genome enough times that an infected person can spread it to someone else. But mistakes occur when any organism copies its genetic material, and RNA viruses like coronaviruses are especially error prone. These inaccuracies, however, provide the raw material upon which natural selection and evolution can act. For COVID-19, this has resulted in a series of new variants that are more transmissible and/or better able to evade immune defenses from vaccines and previous infections.