British Labs Supply the World with Genetic Information about COVID-19
2022-01-24
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1British scientists have created a fast, less costly process for genome sequencing each coronavirus case they examine.
2Britain is now a world leader in COVID-19 sequencing.
3This helps public health officials follow the spread of new variants, develop vaccines and decide when restrictions on movement are necessary.
4Researchers at the Sanger Institute in Cambridge and other laboratories in Britain have a new mission.
5They are sharing what they have learned with scientists around the world.
6The Omicron variant now spreading in many countries shows the need for worldwide cooperation, said Ewan Harrison.
7 He is a top researcher at Sanger.
8Omicron was first found by scientists in southern Africa who quickly informed the world and gave officials time to prepare.
9Since dangerous mutations of the virus can happen anywhere, scientists must continually watch its development to protect everyone, Harrison said.
10"We can't just kind of put a fence around an individual country or parts of the world, because that's just not going to cut it,'' he said.
11Cambridge University Professor Sharon Peacock understood the importance of sequencing the virus early in the pandemic.
12She knew sequencing would be important to fighting the virus.
13She received British government money for a national organization of scientists, laboratories and testing centers known as the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium.
14The consortium is now working to increase knowledge of sequencing around the world.
15It has built training programs for researchers in developing countries.
16The programs include planned online classes on information sharing and working with public health officials.
17The goal is to help researchers build national programs to sequence COVID-19 viruses.
18"There is inequity in access to sequencing worldwide," the group said, adding that it wants to end the unequal situation.
19By sequencing as many cases of the virus as possible, researchers hope to identify variants of concern as quickly as possible.
20They can then follow their spread and give early warnings to health officials.
21Britain has supplied more COVID-19 sequences to researchers around the world than any country other than the United States.
22It has also sequenced a bigger percentage of its cases than any large nation.
23Researchers in Britain have released about 1.68 million sequences, or about 11 percent of reported cases, said GISAID.
24GISAID is an international organization that works for quick sharing of virus information.
25Over the past two years, labs around Britain have refined the process of gathering and studying COVID-19 viruses.
26This has helped cut the cost of examining each genome by 50 percent.
27It has also reduced the time is takes to sequence from three weeks to five days, said the research group Wellcome Sanger.
28Increasing sequencing ability is like building a pipeline, said Dr. Eric Topol.
29He is head of innovative medicine at Scripps Research in San Diego, California.
30In addition to buying costly sequencing machines, countries need supplies of reactive chemicals for the machines.
31They also need trained people to do the work and who understand the sequences.
32They also need systems to share the information quickly.
33Meeting those needs has been difficult for many nations, including the U.S.
34It is even harder for developing nations, Topol said.
35"Many of these low- and middle-income countries don't have the sequencing capabilities, particularly with any reasonable turnaround time," he said.
36"So, the idea that there's a helping hand there from the Wellcome Center is terrific. We need that."
37Virus samples arrive from around the country.
38 Lab assistants carefully prepare the genetic material.
39It is placed into the sequencing devices that read each sample's unique DNA.
40Scientists then examine the information and compare it with other identified genomes to follow mutations.
41They want to see how the virus is developing.
42Because COVID-19 mutates all the time, it is important to look for new, more dangerous variants that might be resistant to vaccines, Harrison said.
43This information will help researchers change existing vaccines or create new ones to fight the virus.
44Harrison praised South Africa for quickly informing the world about the Omicron variant.
45But other countries, he said, punished South Africa by restricting travel and harming its economy.
46All nations must be permitted to publish new variant information without fear of being punished, he said.
47I'm Susan Shand.
1British scientists have created a fast, less costly process for genome sequencing each coronavirus case they examine. 2Britain is now a world leader in COVID-19 sequencing. This helps public health officials follow the spread of new variants, develop vaccines and decide when restrictions on movement are necessary. 3Researchers at the Sanger Institute in Cambridge and other laboratories in Britain have a new mission. They are sharing what they have learned with scientists around the world. 4The Omicron variant now spreading in many countries shows the need for worldwide cooperation, said Ewan Harrison. He is a top researcher at Sanger. 5Omicron was first found by scientists in southern Africa who quickly informed the world and gave officials time to prepare. 6Since dangerous mutations of the virus can happen anywhere, scientists must continually watch its development to protect everyone, Harrison said. 7"We can't just kind of put a fence around an individual country or parts of the world, because that's just not going to cut it,'' he said. 8Cambridge University Professor Sharon Peacock understood the importance of sequencing the virus early in the pandemic. She knew sequencing would be important to fighting the virus. She received British government money for a national organization of scientists, laboratories and testing centers known as the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium. 9The consortium is now working to increase knowledge of sequencing around the world. It has built training programs for researchers in developing countries. The programs include planned online classes on information sharing and working with public health officials. The goal is to help researchers build national programs to sequence COVID-19 viruses. 10"There is inequity in access to sequencing worldwide," the group said, adding that it wants to end the unequal situation. 11By sequencing as many cases of the virus as possible, researchers hope to identify variants of concern as quickly as possible. They can then follow their spread and give early warnings to health officials. 12Britain has supplied more COVID-19 sequences to researchers around the world than any country other than the United States. It has also sequenced a bigger percentage of its cases than any large nation. 13Researchers in Britain have released about 1.68 million sequences, or about 11 percent of reported cases, said GISAID. GISAID is an international organization that works for quick sharing of virus information. 14Over the past two years, labs around Britain have refined the process of gathering and studying COVID-19 viruses. 15This has helped cut the cost of examining each genome by 50 percent. It has also reduced the time is takes to sequence from three weeks to five days, said the research group Wellcome Sanger. 16Increasing sequencing ability is like building a pipeline, said Dr. Eric Topol. He is head of innovative medicine at Scripps Research in San Diego, California. In addition to buying costly sequencing machines, countries need supplies of reactive chemicals for the machines. They also need trained people to do the work and who understand the sequences. They also need systems to share the information quickly. 17Meeting those needs has been difficult for many nations, including the U.S. It is even harder for developing nations, Topol said. 18"Many of these low- and middle-income countries don't have the sequencing capabilities, particularly with any reasonable turnaround time," he said. "So, the idea that there's a helping hand there from the Wellcome Center is terrific. We need that." 19Virus samples arrive from around the country. Lab assistants carefully prepare the genetic material. It is placed into the sequencing devices that read each sample's unique DNA. Scientists then examine the information and compare it with other identified genomes to follow mutations. They want to see how the virus is developing. 20Because COVID-19 mutates all the time, it is important to look for new, more dangerous variants that might be resistant to vaccines, Harrison said. This information will help researchers change existing vaccines or create new ones to fight the virus. 21Harrison praised South Africa for quickly informing the world about the Omicron variant. But other countries, he said, punished South Africa by restricting travel and harming its economy. All nations must be permitted to publish new variant information without fear of being punished, he said. 22I'm Susan Shand. 23The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. 24__________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26genome -n. the entire set of genetic instructions found in a cell 27sequencing - n. a process of finding out the order of the amino acids forming the genetic material of an organism 28variant - n. something that is different in some way from others of the same kind 29mutation - n. a permanent change in the genes of an organism 30consortium - n. a group of people or companies that agree to work together 31access -n. the ability to get something, enter a place or meet someone 32refine - v. to improve (something) by making small changes 33sample -n. a small amount of something that is used to give information about what it was taken from 34unique - adj. used to say that something or someone is unlike anything or anyone else 35We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, and visit our Facebook page.