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Illumina's Phil Febbo on Sequencing, Coronavirus and Viral Outbreaks
Rapid sequencing of viral genomes is giving physicians and epidemiologists new ways to identify, track, and potentially slow outbreaks of viral infections such as the novel Wuhan coronavirus. That means high-throughput genome sequencing—which had predominantly been a research tool—is taking its place as a front-line weapon in the fight to prevent pandemics, says Febbo, a medical oncologist. "Last year, 40 percent of our consumables in sequencing were for clinical testing, and we see the clinical testing increasing at a pace that's faster than research testing," he says.
Whole-genome viral sequencing, as a supplement to more traditional PCR-based testing for RNA sequences, can not only reveal exactly which virus is afflicting a given patient, but can reveal where a virus originated and how it is evolving to evade vaccines or other interventions.
"The fact that the WHO heard of the first cases [of the Wuhan coronavirus] at the end of December, and the New England Journal published the full genome on January 24, within a month, because of the availability of sequencing, already, places like the CDC are using that information to design the probes for the RT-PCR to develop front line tests—never before has anything like that happened," Febbo notes.
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By Harry GlorikianRapid sequencing of viral genomes is giving physicians and epidemiologists new ways to identify, track, and potentially slow outbreaks of viral infections such as the novel Wuhan coronavirus. That means high-throughput genome sequencing—which had predominantly been a research tool—is taking its place as a front-line weapon in the fight to prevent pandemics, says Febbo, a medical oncologist. "Last year, 40 percent of our consumables in sequencing were for clinical testing, and we see the clinical testing increasing at a pace that's faster than research testing," he says.
Whole-genome viral sequencing, as a supplement to more traditional PCR-based testing for RNA sequences, can not only reveal exactly which virus is afflicting a given patient, but can reveal where a virus originated and how it is evolving to evade vaccines or other interventions.
"The fact that the WHO heard of the first cases [of the Wuhan coronavirus] at the end of December, and the New England Journal published the full genome on January 24, within a month, because of the availability of sequencing, already, places like the CDC are using that information to design the probes for the RT-PCR to develop front line tests—never before has anything like that happened," Febbo notes.
Please rate and review The Harry Glorikian Show on Apple Podcasts! Here's how to do that from an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch:
1. Open the Podcasts app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
2. Navigate to The Harry Glorikian Show podcast. You can find it by searching for it or selecting it from your library. Just note that you'll have to go to the series page which shows all the episodes, not just the page for a single episode.
3. Scroll down to find the subhead titled "Ratings & Reviews."
4. Under one of the highlighted reviews, select "Write a Review."
5. Next, select a star rating at the top — you have the option of choosing between one and five stars.
6. Using the text box at the top, write a title for your review. Then, in the lower text box, write your review. Your review can be up to 300 words long.
7. Once you've finished, select "Send" or "Save" in the top-right corner.
8. If you've never left a podcast review before, enter a nickname. Your nickname will be displayed next to any reviews you leave from here on out.
9. After selecting a nickname, tap OK. Your review may not be immediately visible.
That's it! Thanks so much.