HudsonAlpha & the City of Huntsville join forces against pandemic HudsonAlpha and the City of Huntsville are working together to battle COVID-19. Through the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the City’s wastewater system, HudsonAlpha scientists are providing important data to consider as the City contin- ues to respond to the pandemic. The goal of this collaboration is to anticipate areas where the virus is likely to spread and limit the impact through preventative and protective measures. Sequencing the viral genome In 2020, HudsonAlpha was awarded a grant through Alabama’s Coronavirus Relief Fund to performgenomic sequencing on positive SARS-CoV-2 samples from people across the state of Alabama. The project, led by Faculty Investigator Jane Grimwood, PhD, and in collaboration with resident company Diatherix Eurofins, is aimedatidentifyingdifferentstrainsofSARS-CoV-2virusfromallregionsofthestateto generate longitudinal data to determine changes in the SARS-CoV-2 virus during the pandemic. The sequencing will also help to identify possible sources of new hotspots of infection in Alabama. This new knowledge about the viral genome is important to survey for possible emerging strains of virus which could have impli- cations for vaccine development and vaccine efficiency. The sequencing data will be shared with state and national databases which will add an Alabama perspec- tive to national and global COVID-19 initiatives. The rapid spread of the virus is due to many factors including an extended pre- symptomatic phase and individuals who show mild or symptoms or none at all. Therefore, there is a need for nontraditional approaches to identifying viral spread before or at the earliest possible point of a community outbreak. This wastewater initiative is just such an approach. Still in the pilot phase, this initiative consists of testingwastewatermultiple times per week from collection sites across the City. HudsonAlpha senior scientists Brian Roberts and Ben Henderson, PhD, developed the viral detection test and are employing leading edge technologies for this important initiative. Once the analysis of the data is generated, HudsonAlpha provides it to City officials. The City may use this information to aid in decisions related to public health planning and safety. n
Sequencing
Environmental Monitoring
HudsonAlpha resources about HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology has created a series of brief videos explaining key concepts associated with COVID-19 and the SARS-CoV-2 virus. New videos are uploaded regularly. The entire collection can be found at www.hudsonalpha.org/beyond-the-blog . General COVID-19 Overview
COVID-19 Treatment Treatments Overview Anti-Viral Drugs Antibodies and Treatment Antibodies Convalescent Plasma Pooled Testing
COVID-19 Transmission COVID-19 Spread and Prevention Herd Immunity COVID-19 Risk Assessment
Asymptomatic Spread Children and COVID-19
What is Coronavirus? Symptoms and Testing Early Warning Defenses, Facemasks Strains and Mutations Changing recipe—UK variant
COVID-19 Vaccines Vaccines Manufacturers Vaccine Approvals Distribution Immune Response
COVID-19 Testing How is COVID-19 Testing Done? Testing and Transmission Molecular vs. Antigen Testing Wastewater Testing
Metabolism Reinfections
2019-20 Research Report 45
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