[ad_1]
The UK’s use of genomic sequencing to identify a more infectious strain of SARS-COV-2 has been widely used as a red flag for inadequate use of the technology in the US.
Until mid-December, the United States had sequenced about 0.3% of its COVID-19 samples, a significantly lower percentage than other developed countries despite holding a quarter of the cases in the world.
By comparison, the UK will sequence around 10% of its samples, and Australia aims to sequence all of the relatively limited number of positive COVID-19 tests there in real time.
“The United States has been a no-show for sequencing if you look at the world stage,” said Dr. Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute. “Sequencing gives us a lot of different things. It tells us how the virus travels from place to place. This tells us how quickly it is changing. We can say it was here that day, and it was there another day. It can mean a super spreader. “
See also: Here’s what we know so far about the new strain of COVID-19
Growing concern about new ‘hyper-transmissible’ strains of SARS-COV-2 has heightened the country’s awareness of the lack of federal funding and the development of the kind of genomic surveillance that has helped the UK identify the B. 1.1.7 and South Africa locate strain B. 1.351 in December.
“We just don’t have the kind of robust surveillance capabilities we need to track outbreaks and mutations,” President-elect Joe Biden said Thursday, when he called for a dramatic increase in genomic sequencing and of oversight under its US $ 1.9 trillion proposal. Safety plan.
While much of the federal pandemic dollars so far have been allocated to immediate needs such as testing, contact tracing, and helping drug makers increase their vaccine manufacturing capabilities, Experts are now pushing the United States to build a more robust genomic surveillance system that can help public health departments identify new strains while better controlling regional or community outbreaks.
All viruses evolve and SARS-COV-2 is thought to develop one to two variants per month, although it mutates much more slowly than the flu virus. In mid-2020, researchers started talking about the 614G mutation, which is now considered the dominant form of the virus around the world. Now the concern has shifted to strains B.1.1.7 and B. 1.351, both of which are considered to be more infectious.
The UK’s B.1.1.7 strain has been detected in at least 76 people in 12 states, as of January 13, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (The B. 1.351 strain from South Africa has not been identified in the United States at this time.)
In the United States, where rates of infections, hospitalizations and deaths continue to climb, the focus has been less on population-level public health initiatives, while testing and care remains very strong. requested.
Lily: Biden plans to immediately distribute COVID-19 vaccine doses
Intermountain Healthcare, a Salt Lake City-based hospital system, sent all positive COVID-19 tests for sequencing in the early days of the pandemic. But when cases started to increase and the workload increased, the process started too disruptive and too long, and it was stopped, said Dr Bert Lopansri, head of the Division of Infectious Diseases and Health. epidemiology of Intermountain.
“With the increase in treatment options, the rollout of vaccines and the emergence of new variants, stepping up sequencing is essential going forward,” he said in an email.
If the United States sequenced at least 5% of positive COVID-19 tests, then it would be able to detect emerging strains or variants when they represent less than 1% of total positive cases, according to a model developed by the company of Illumina Sequencing Inc. ILMN,
(Their model is expected to be released this weekend as a pre-print, a type of preliminary medical study.)
It would cost less than $ 500 million in 2021, according to Dr Phil Febbo, the company’s chief medical officer.
Experts say investing money in a national genomic sequencing surveillance network can not only help identify new variants in the future, but also help overworked public health departments prioritize which must be tested, traced contacts and isolated.
It could also be used to notify vaccine manufacturers if there is a “vaccine escape strain”, a strain of the virus that could make currently available vaccines less effective or ineffective.
(A laboratory study in mice by BioNTech SE BNTX,
and Pfizer Inc. PFE,
showed that their vaccine is still effective against the new strains, according to the Jan. 7 prepublication. MRNA of Moderna Inc.,
also said he was confident his mRNA vaccine will work against the British strain)
“When they see a small group of a new variant entering a community, they can react quickly,” Febbo said, “and they can educate those who are infected and make sure they do their best to contain that. “
See also: FDA identifies 3 COVID-19 tests that could be impacted by a new variant
Earlier this month, Illumina announced plans with a private testing company called Helix OpCo to develop a CDC-backed national sequencing surveillance system. Helix is looking for samples from positive COVID-19 tests with the “S gene dropout” for Illumina to be sequenced. So far, they have identified at least 51 cases of B.1.1.7. in the USA
Integrating genomic sequencing into national surveillance isn’t the only way to modernize the way the United States can track and take action against the virus. Beyond testing, contact tracing and isolation, this could include genomic sequencing, wastewater monitoring, mobility data collection and the use of digital sensors, according to Topol.
“As we distribute vaccines at full capacity, we will start to see containment of the virus,” he said. “And then there will be places that look like a mole, where the virus tends to reappear. If you do sequencing, wastewater, digital, mobility, you basically have a real-time dashboard in the country, and you see that “Oh, wow, Kalamazoo turns on.” “
Illumina shares have gained 18% over the past 12 months, while SPDR S&P Biotech ETF XBI,
gained 59% and the S&P 500 SPX,
gained 15%.
[ad_2]
Source link