British Labs Supply the World with Genetic Information about COVID-19

British scientists have created a fast, less costly¹ process for genome sequencing each coronavirus case they examine.

Britain is now a world leader in COVID-19 sequencing. This helps public health officials follow the spread of new variants³, develop vaccines⁴ and decide when restrictions⁵ on movement are necessary.

Researchers 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.

The Omicron variant² now spreading in many countries shows the need for worldwide cooperation, said Ewan Harrison. He is a top researcher at Sanger.

Omicron was first found by scientists in southern Africa who quickly informed the world and gave officials time to prepare.

Since dangerous mutations of the virus can happen anywhere, scientists must continually watch its development to protect everyone, Harrison said.

"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.

Cambridge 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.

The 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.

"There is inequity in access to sequencing worldwide," the group said, adding that it wants to end the unequal situation.

By 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.

Britain 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.

Researchers 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.

Over the past two years, labs around Britain have refined the process of gathering⁷ and studying COVID-19 viruses.

This 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.

Increasing sequencing ability is like building a pipeline⁸, said Dr. Eric Topol. He is head of innovative⁹ 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.

Meeting those needs has been difficult for many nations, including the U.S. It is even harder for developing nations, Topol said.

"Many of these low- and middle-income countries don't have the sequencing capabilities¹⁰, particularly with any reasonable turnaround time," he said. "So, the idea that there's a helping¹¹ hand there from the Wellcome Center is terrific. We need that."

Virus samples arrive from around the country. Lab assistants carefully prepare the genetic¹² material. It is placed into the sequencing devices that read each sample's unique DNA¹³. Scientists then examine the information and compare it with other identified genomes to follow mutations. They want to see how the virus is developing.

Because COVID-19 mutates all the time, it is important to look for new, more dangerous variants that might be resistant¹⁴ to vaccines, Harrison said. This information will help researchers change existing vaccines or create new ones to fight the virus.

Harrison 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.

Words in This Story

genome –n. the entire set of genetic instructions found in a cell

sequencing – n. a process of finding out the order of the amino acids forming the genetic material of an organism

variant – n. something that is different in some way from others of the same kind

mutation⁶ – n. a permanent change in the genes¹⁵ of an organism

consortium – n. a group of people or companies that agree to work together

access –n. the ability to get something, enter a place or meet someone

refine – v. to improve (something) by making small changes

sample –n. a small amount of something that is used to give information about what it was taken from

unique – adj. used to say that something or someone is unlike anything or anyone else

1 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

2 variant   

adj.不同的，变异的；n.变体，异体

参考例句：

• We give professional suggestions according to variant tanning stages for each customer.我们针对每位顾客不同的日晒阶段，提供强度适合的晒黑建议。
• In a variant of this approach,the tests are data- driven.这个方法的一个变种，是数据驱动的测试。

3 variants   

n.变体( variant的名词复数 )；变种；变型；（词等的）变体

参考例句：

• Those variants will be preserved in the'struggle for existence". 这些变异将在“生存竞争”中被保留下来。 来自辞典例句
• Like organisms, viruses have variants, generally called strains. 与其他生物一样，病毒也有变种，一般称之为株系。 来自辞典例句

4 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

5 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

6 mutation   

n.变化，变异，转变

参考例句：

• People who have this mutation need less sleep than others.有这种突变的人需要的睡眠比其他人少。
• So far the discussion has centered entirely around mutation in the strict sense.到目前为止，严格来讲，讨论完全集中于围绕突变问题上。

7 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

8 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

9 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

10 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

11 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

12 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

13 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

14 resistant   

adj.(to)抵抗的，有抵抗力的

参考例句：

• Many pests are resistant to the insecticide.许多害虫对这种杀虫剂有抵抗力。
• They imposed their government by force on the resistant population.他们以武力把自己的统治强加在持反抗态度的人民头上。

15 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪