Novel Coronavirus: DU researchers to sequence genomes from 100 samples

A group of teachers from Dhaka University's (DU) biological science faculty have started conducting research to sequence genomes from 100 coronavirus samples taken from patients from across the country.

Prof Sharif Akhteruzzaman of genetic engineering and biotechnology department, who is also chief of the university's corona response technical committee, made the announcement at a view-exchange meeting held at the Centre for Advanced Research in Science building yesterday.

"Initially, genomes of 100 viruses collected from the samples will be decoded. In the secondary stage, genome sequencing centring three types of Covid-19 positive patients -- those having full symptoms, partial symptoms and asymptotic -- will be carried out," said Prof Sharif.

"We may be able to know whether different symptoms in Covid-19 patients are result of mutations of a specific gene. If we get to know, it will be easier to manufacture vaccines targeting our citizens, since we saw earlier that vaccines invented by one country may not work on people of another country," he added.

Prof Sharif also said the estimated cost of the entire project is around Tk 1 crore. He urged the government and non-government institutions to assist them in this regard.

Earlier, eight researchers at the Child Health Research Foundation -- led by Dr Senjuti Saha and her father, eminent microbiologist Dr Samir Kumar Saha -- sequenced genome of the novel coronavirus, Sars-Cov2, for the first time in Bangladesh, which may help to trace origins of infections in the country.

Genome sequencing is the process of identifying what nucleotides -- the basic building block of DNA and RNA -- are present in a certain cell and in what order.