Here is how scientists are finding a cure for coronavirus
Scientists across the world are trying to develop a line of treatment and a possible vaccine for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus,
which has infected over 100,000 people and claimed over 4,000 lives.
Even the most optimistic timelines, however, don’t see a line of
treatment or vaccine arriving before next year. Meanwhile, a global
effort is on to collect and analyse the genetic composition of the new virus, which would be key to developing a cure and a vaccine.
Coronavirus outbreak: What kind of genetic information is being studied?
Laboratories in various countries have been isolating and sharing the genome sequences of the virus on an international platform. Whole genome sequencing is the process of determining the complete DNA sequence of an organism’s genome at a single time. Genome sequence is the unique code of genetic material of any organism, and determines the characteristic of any organism. The gene composition of novel coronavirus, for instance, is different from that of the influenza virus. Every organism has a unique genome sequence.
Scientists across the world are trying to develop a line of treatment and a possible vaccine for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus,
which has infected over 100,000 people and claimed over 4,000 lives.
Even the most optimistic timelines, however, don’t see a line of
treatment or vaccine arriving before next year. Meanwhile, a global
effort is on to collect and analyse the genetic composition of the new virus, which would be key to developing a cure and a vaccine.
Coronavirus outbreak: What kind of genetic information is being studied?
Laboratories in various countries have been isolating and sharing the genome sequences of the virus on an international platform. Whole genome sequencing is the process of determining the complete DNA sequence of an organism’s genome at a single time. Genome sequence is the unique code of genetic material of any organism, and determines the characteristic of any organism. The gene composition of novel coronavirus, for instance, is different from that of the influenza virus. Every organism has a unique genome sequence.
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