Yuan Guoyong, Chair Professor of the Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, and his team announced today (30th) that they have successfully isolated the Omicron variant virus from clinical specimens.
The team is further separating and cultivating the virus strain to obtain a larger number of variant viruses for subsequent experiments.
The cultured virus will be used in animal models to evaluate its transmission, immune escape and pathogenicity.
The team is also actively exploring various possibilities for cooperative development and production of inactivated whole virus vaccines.
The picture shows the immunofluorescence image to detect the NP protein of the variant virus.
The left is the uninfected group; the middle and the right are the 48-hour infected group.
(Provided by HKU)
Research and develop the possibility of inactivated whole virus vaccine
The Department of Microbiology of the University of Hong Kong announced that this Monday (29th) it has successfully isolated the "SARS-CoV-2 Omicron" virus variant from clinical specimens. The isolated virus strain will be used to develop and produce inactivated whole virus vaccines. Take a step forward in fighting this "variant of concern" marked by the WHO.
The isolation and culture of the virus was very successful. The cytopathic effects of cell rounding and shrinkage began to appear within 24 hours and were completed within 48 hours.
Immunofluorescence staining of the infected cell line showed abundant expression of nucleocapsid protein.
The research team is conducting further isolation and cultivation of the virus strain to obtain a larger number of variant viruses for subsequent experiments.
The cultured virus will be used in animal models to evaluate its transmission, immune escape and pathogenicity.
The team is also actively exploring various possibilities for cooperative development and production of inactivated whole virus vaccines.
The picture shows the comparison of the spike protein mutation of the Delta mutant virus strain (left) and the Omicron mutant virus strain.
(Picture of Rome Children's Hospital)
Yuan Guoyong pointed out that this variant virus has a strong potential threat, and the isolation of the variant virus is the first step to carry out urgent research on the variant virus.
Yuan Guoyong, Chair Professor of the Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, and his team announced today (30th) that they have successfully isolated the Omicron variant virus from clinical specimens.
(Profile picture / Photo by Luo Junhao)
The first research team in Asia successfully isolated and cultivated mutant strains
This is the first Asian research team to successfully isolate and cultivate a variant strain of the Omicron virus. It is only four days after the two imported cases of the Omicron variant new crown virus appeared in Hong Kong on the 25th of this month, and the World Health Organization (WHO) received the variant virus from South Africa. The report is only five days.
The isolation and cultivation of the virus are carried out in strict accordance with the operating specifications in the P3 laboratory of the University of Hong Kong.
The University of Hong Kong has the only biosafety level 3 laboratory for research on emerging infectious diseases in Hong Kong.
Omicron case spread. The government has banned non-Hong Kong residents from Japan, Portugal and Sweden from entering Omicron on Friday. Investors took the opportunity to buy a shop in Tsuen Wan at 30%. The seller lost ten million Omicron. The basic anti-epidemic principle of a Mediterranean town 400 years ago is still valid.
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