How Was the UK Variant of COVID, with Much Faster Transmission, Discovered? [Im Juhyung's Tech Talk]

Virus Invisible to the Naked Eye
Identified Through Base Sequence Decoding Sequencer
Variant Virus Discovered in the UK
Joint Achievement by Next-Generation Sequencers and Research Institutes
Experts: "COVID Variants Can Appear Anywhere on Earth"
"Countries Must Strengthen Genomic Surveillance Technology"

On the 23rd, a notice regarding entry restrictions due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was displayed at the departure hall of Incheon Airport. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] On the 19th (local time), the discovery of a new variant of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in southern England, UK, threw Europe into chaos. According to the UK government, this variant is estimated to be much more contagious than the existing COVID-19 virus, leading Asian countries including Japan and Korea, as well as Europe, to temporarily suspend flights to and from the UK.

In the fight against infectious diseases, it is crucial to accurately understand changes in the virus. Viruses frequently mutate by nature, and during this process, variants with faster transmission rates or those that evade existing immune responses may emerge. Notably, the rapid identification of this variant was made possible thanks to the excellent capabilities of British scientists.

But how were scientists able to detect the presence of this variant? How can humans perceive viruses that are much smaller than a speck of dust?

The MinION sequencer from the UK company Oxford Nanopore, which can be connected to a laptop for genome analysis. / Photo by Oxford Nanopore website

◆ 'Sequencer' that Decodes Virus Identity

There is no way to visually identify viruses with the naked eye. Therefore, scientists use specialized electronic devices to recognize viruses. This device is called a 'sequencer' (nucleotide sequencer).

All viruses have genomes containing genetic information, which is composed in the form of nucleotide sequences. Sequencers decode these nucleotide sequences, enabling the identification of viruses.

Sequencing was once limited to a few large research institutes. The world's first DNA sequencer was the '370A sequencer' produced by the American company Applied Biosystems, which was not only very large but also an expensive device affordable only by national research institutes or some corporations.

However, the price of sequencers has recently dropped rapidly. This is due to the spread of 'Next-Generation Sequencing' (NGS), a method that cuts a genome into small pieces, decodes the nucleotide sequence data, and then reassembles it.

Especially with recent advances in computer hardware and software, technologies have emerged that connect sequencers the size of a USB drive to general PCs or smartphones to analyze genomes. According to the US National Human Genome Research Institute (NIH), the cost of analyzing the human genome has dropped by nearly 100 times over the past decade.

◆ UK's Outstanding Genome Surveillance Technology Enables Early Variant Detection

Thanks to the widespread use of sequencers, humans can analyze viral genomes more frequently. However, advanced equipment is useless without scientists to operate the sequencers and record data. The discovery of this variant virus was made possible by the efforts of 'COG-UK,' a coronavirus genome research organization composed of British scientists.

COG-UK was established in the UK on March 4, when the first wave of COVID-19 spread in Europe. They collaborated with various UK universities, the National Health Service (NHS), and independent research institutes to secure as many sequencers and research personnel as possible, focusing on tracking the coronavirus genome in the UK.

COG-UK is a coronavirus genome surveillance agency established in the UK in March. / Photo by COG-UK website

COG-UK operates as follows: first, a portion of the positive test samples from NHS testing is sent by the UK government to COG-UK. These samples contain the coronavirus genome. COG-UK sequences these samples to obtain virus information and stores it in a database.

Using this method, COG-UK collected 157,439 coronavirus genome sequences by the 23rd. Based on this information, they can predict how the virus might evolve, detect the presence of variant viruses, and trace how specific variants arrived in the UK.

The variant virus discovered in the UK is also a testament to COG-UK's excellence. Professor Sharon Peacock, head of COG-UK, stated in an interview with the British media 'The Independent' on the 22nd, "Only a very few countries can match the UK's genetic analysis capabilities," emphasizing, "The UK currently accounts for nearly half of the world's (coronavirus) genome sequencing data."

She added, "If a mutation occurs anywhere on Earth, the place most likely to detect it first is the UK."

◆ "Highly Contagious Variants Can Appear Anywhere on Earth at Any Time"

Professor Peacock's statement also implies that this variant may not have originated in the UK. It could simply be that a significant portion of coronavirus genome decoding research is conducted in the UK, so the UK was the first to detect the variant.

She emphasized the need to strengthen genome surveillance not only in the UK but also in other countries. She explained, "Viruses can mutate and evolve at any time. We must anticipate that the virus's transmissibility will increase."

She warned, "A more contagious virus could appear anywhere on Earth at any time, but due to a lack of genome surveillance, health authorities might not be able to detect it."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.