AIIMS, Bhopal conducts study on coronavirus mutation
   Date :20-Jun-2020

AIIMS Bhopal_1  
 
 
By Divyansh Thakur ;
 
A medical expert of AIIMS said that 13,000 strains of COVID-19 have been deposited at the US-based Gene Bank and that all countries are submitting data of gene sequencing of viruses found 
 
In the wake of deadly virus wreaking havoc in Bhopal killing 77 people, a study was conducted at AIIMS, Bhopal, to understand the auto-mutations of the COVID-19 strains. To conduct experiments data was sought from a US-based Gene Bank.
 
The report of the study is currently kept confidential and information will be revealed once it gets published. A medical expert of AIIMS said that 13,000 strains of COVID-19 have been deposited at the US-based Gene Bank and that all countries are submitting data of gene sequencing of viruses found.An analysis will be conducted by collecting data from different countries, known as computational bioinformatics analysis. This is called computational bioinformatics analysis.
 
It reveals the magnitude of genetic mutation the virus underwent and the mutation increases its capacity to infect the cells. AIIMS, Bhopal, is the second institute to conduct this study and another similar study is being conducted at Hyderabad’s Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology.
 
 
AIIMS Director explains need for this study Director of AIIMS Bhopal Dr Sarman Singh told ‘The Hitavada’ that percentage of people killed due to coronavirus is uncertain in different countries. Dr Singh also said that there has been much debate about why COVID-19 outbreaks in some parts of the world quickly overwhelmed health systems, while at other locations the outbreak could be readily managed, Dr Singh added. The study will explain how the virus mutates and changes to some degree and how those changes impact fitness or ability to compete, said Dr Singh.