Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre decodes genome sequence of coronavirus

Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre has successfully completed genome sequence for the coronavirus. The research result will help to find how the coronavirus enters the human body and attacks the lungs and other parts of the body.

Gandhinagar: Even as scientists across the world have taken up the challenge of defeating coronavirus which has created havoc and there is a frantic search for a vaccine, the scientists of Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre have completed genome sequencing for the coronavirus.

The discovery of corona genomes by the Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre is expected to help in developing a vaccine for the coronavirus.

The nature, behaviour and structure of living organisms like animals, human and vegetation are decided by their DNA. The formation of a virus can be detected from its RNA acid which also helps in detecting the nature of its attack on the human body.

Addressing a press conference, Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre director Prof Chaitanya Joshi said the World Health Organisation had on March 11 declared coronavirus as a pandemic and the largest number of coronavirus positive cases were reported from Wuhan city of China.

Thereafter the vaccine and medicine for coronavirus were tested in China and in 396 other laboratories all over the world. Their results revealed that there have been six changes over a period in coronavirus.

Till now no other laboratory in India has succeeded in doing such an analysis.

Coronavirus spreads from one person to another very rapidly. The latest research result will help in finding how the coronavirus enters the human body and attacks the lungs and other parts of the body.

Besides discovering the genomes of the coronavirus, the scientists of Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre have also found three types of changes in the coronavirus during the sequencing which is an important achievement. These discoveries can prove useful in developing a vaccine or drug for the coronavirus disease.

Further research would be carried out by taking samples from corona positive cases from different parts of the state. Collection of more samples would further be helpful in identifying the virus and developing a vaccine.