A new national research project to study the effects of emerging mutations in SARS-CoV-2 with £ 2.5 million funding from Research and Innovation UK (UKRI).
The National Virology Consortium ‘G2P-UK’ examines how mutations in the virus affect key outcomes such as transmission, severity of COVID-19 cause, and effectiveness of vaccines and treatments.
The Consortium will bring together leading experts from 10 research institutes **. They work with the COVID-19 Genomics UK consortium (COG-UK), which has a worldwide role in virus genome sequencing, and Public Health England to increase the UK’s ability to study make newly identified viral changes and inform government policy quickly.
The consortium is led by Professor Wendy Barclay, of Imperial College London, who said: “The UK has been excellent at sequencing viral genomes and identifying new changes – now we need to better understand which mutations affect the virus in a way that may affect our control strategies We are already working to determine the effects of the virus. the recent virus variants identified in the UK and South Africa and what that means for SARS-CoV-2 transmission and vaccine efficacy.
“Now the virus has been circulating in humans for over a year and is common all over the world, we are at a stage where the virus is constantly throwing up new changes. and we must be prepared to assess the risk they pose, and to understand the ways in which they operate. “
Science Minister Amanda Solloway said: “The UK has world-class genomics potential, and it is the work of our leading scientists and researchers that has enabled our scientists to remotely identify new variants of coronavirus.
“This vital new research project will help us understand not only the extent to which these new variables are spreading and their risks, but also their sustainability for vaccines and treatments, to can we design our response to help overcome this virus once and for all. “
Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, Chief Executive, Research and Innovation UK, who funded the study, said: “One of the real strengths of the UK’s scientific response to the pandemic is the way in which researchers from across the country have combined the experience to deliver great, fast results. This new national consortium examines the impact of emerging changes on transmission, disease depth, and vaccine efficacy – building on the work of the UK COVID-19 Genomics Consortium, which has been so effective in identifying new changes.
“This is an urgent inquiry that will be part of the government’s decisions every day.”
Variations in the genome of the virus occur naturally and some of these are indeterminate, while others change how it works.
As new viral changes arise, the consortium identifies the most dangerous changes, such as those associated with rapidly spreading virus collections, for analysis. They also create custom versions of the virus with and without each mutation, so that they can analyze the effects of each individual change.
Other teams in the consortium will then study how these new variants alter the proteins of the virus, specifically the main spike protein on the surface. This is important because changes in the spike protein can affect transmission and may alter the effectiveness of vaccines and antibodies that target the protein.
The researchers then use cell cultures and animal models to study if the mutation of the virus alters the immune response, virus transmission, the severity of the disease it causes, or its effectiveness. vaccines and medications.
The researchers will study the ease with which the virus variants spread by direct contact or airways in animal models. They will also examine the impact on the severity of disease, such as lung damage and shortness of breath, associated with symptoms common to human COVID-19.
In addition, they determine whether mutations in the spike protein allow the virus to escape the immune response created either by the vaccine or by a protective memory from more infectious diseases. early.
Professor Bryan Charleston, co-director of the Pirbright Institute, with support from BBSRC, said: “We need to quickly understand whether new changes are spreading faster, causing a more serious disease, escaping immunity or attack other animals more easily. “
Professor Massimo Palmarini, co-director of the MRC-University Virus Research Center at the University of Glasgow, said: “Understanding the unique properties of one SARS-CoV-2 variable requires testing tests lasting several weeks. It is therefore absolutely essential. to study SARS-CoV-2 modifications as a coordinated effort at the UK level. “
Professor Michael Malim, co-director of King’s College London, said: “It is vital that the strengths and breadth of UK virology come together and develop an evidence base to explain the biological impact of viral changes. , such as being against vaccines. motivated protection, and provide information on how we should respond and plan for the future. “
By establishing an expedited, co-ordinated and openly communicated program, which will work across the UK to study the latest virus mutations simultaneously in several laboratories with molecular experimental methods , the researchers aim to introduce faster, more reliable results to implement public health policy and clinical practice. .
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* The consortium was named ‘G2P-UK’, standing for ‘genotype to phenotype’. They examine how changes in the virus genotype (the ‘genotype’) alter the ‘phenotype’. The term ‘phenotype’ describes the visible features of an organism.
** The scientists are based at ten research centers: Imperial College London, Pirbright Institute, King’s College London, University of Glasgow, University of Bristol, University of Liverpool, UCL, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge and the Francis Crick Institute.
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