Thirty thousand base pairs make up the (relatively tiny) SARS-CoV-2 genome. A singular genome holds limited information. But, by comparing multiple genomes from different patients, animals, places, or time periods, the DNA’s information can be unlocked. From where the virus originated to how it spilled over from animals into humans, how quickly it mutates, and how those changes affect infections—genome comparisons may provide the answers.
The SARS-CoV-2 genome, initially reported on January 12, has been studied extensively in the last month, with the hope of uncovering useful information about COVID-19. Indeed, the U.K. has established a massive collaboration to sequence as many COVID-19 cases as possible. Some researchers, such as Trevor Bedford, PhD, associate member at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division and an affiliate associate professor in the department of genome sciences and the department of epidemiology at the University of Washington, analyze viral genomes from the pandemic in real time, as the data materialize. These data and analyses are available on the open-source platform Nextstrain, co-developed by Bedford.
In the last month, Bedford has been able to form early hypotheses regarding the virus. One, according to his tweets on March 24, offered information regarding how SARS-CoV-2 mutates and what that might mean for COVID-19 vaccination and immunity. In the thread, Bedford predicts that it will take the virus a few years to mutate enough to significantly hinder a vaccine. He goes on to suggest that “we should see occasional mutations to the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 that allow the virus to partially escape from vaccines or existing “herd” immunity, but that this process will most likely take years rather than months.”
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