CCMB starts sequencing isolates of Coronavirus

HYDERABAD: Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) has started genome sequencing the isolates of novel Coronavirus. The CCMB plans to sequence hundreds of isolates in the next two-three weeks. Sequencing a large number of virus isolates can help in understanding various aspects of the virus — the path it took in spreading the infection, how it spread and from where it spread.

“With the help of genome sequencing, we can track the relatedness between different patients. For example, we can tell which group of people contracted the infection from Delhi or Kerala, where the virus originated, whether from China or Italy. We can also find which type of the virus is spreading fast. The data from sequencing will also be useful for drug designing process,” CCMB Director Dr RK Mishra told Express. Once the sequencing is done, it will also be made public for further research.