'The hope is we're not caught off guard' again, B.C. researcher says of discovery of 9 new coronavirus species
A team of researchers led by a British Columbia university has uncovered several new species of coronavirus, some of which were found in unexpected places such as animal dung.
The discoveries, outlined in a news release Wednesday from the University of British Columbia, were made by a former UBC post-doctoral research fellow, who led an international team in an analysis of ribonucleic acid (RNA) sequencing data.rib
Artem Babaian led the study of 20 million gigabytes of gene sequence data, dubbed the Serratus Project. This data came from 5.7 million biological samples, UBC said.
"We’re entering a new era of understanding the genetic and spatial diversity of viruses in nature, and how a wide variety of animals interface with these viruses," Babaian said in the news release.
"The hope is we’re not caught off guard if something like SARS-CoV-2—the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19— emerges again … The real goal is these infections are recognized so early that they never become pandemics."
The samples collected worldwide over a 13-year period included dung from several animals, as well as other sources, according to a summary from the school of the research published in the scientific journal Nature this week.
The research team phased the collection as coming from "every continent and ocean, and all kingdoms of life."
With the help of a "ridiculously powerful" supercomputer built by UBC and Amazon Web Services, the team said it found nearly 10 times more RNA viruses than were previously known.
In total, it said, the project found 132,000 RNA viruses. Only 15,000 were known before the Serratus Project.
The team also found nine new species of coronaviruses during study, which took 11 days and cost about $24,000.
As for what was learned, there were some challenges, the team wrote in the paper published in the journal.
"An important limitation for these analyses is that the nucleic acid reads do not prove that viral infection has occurred in the nominal host species. For example, we identified five libraries in which a porcine, avian, or bat coronavirus was found in plant samples," the team said.
The hope is this research, and the database created by the Serratus Project, will help "pave the way to rapidly identify virus spillover into humans," UBC said. The database can also be used to identify viruses impacting livestock, crops and endangered species, according to the school.
An example the 32-year-old gave was of a patient with an unexplained fever. He said that patient's blood could be sequenced, and the virus causing the fever could be compared to the Serratus Project database of existing viruses.
"You can now search through the database in about two minutes, and connect that virus to, say, a camel in sub-Saharan Africa sampled in 2012," Babaian said.
He called the research, which was sketched out on a napkin and started as a "fun" side project, the "most exciting scientific period of my life."
"There are two types of fun. Type 1 is smiling and fun. Type 2 is when you’re miserable while doing it but the memory shines, like rock climbing. In many ways Serratus is Type 2 fun. You just kind of have to believe it’s going to work out."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. Both weren't expecting to meet someone special the night they crossed paths at a bar in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Iraq investigates a blast at a base of Iran-allied militias that killed 1. U.S. denies involvement
Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they were investigating an explosion that struck a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iran-allied militias, killing one person and injuring eight.
The House is on the brink of approving aid for Ukraine and Israel after months of struggle
The House is preparing in a rare Saturday session to approve US$95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.