Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) in downtown Phoenix announced the newly formed Arizona COVID-19 Genomics Union (ACGU) to track coronavirus on Wednesday.
The collaboration between TGen and University of Arizona will focus on genetic analysis to pinpoint the virus’s genetic make-up. The team wants to better understand the origin of the early March outbreak in Maricopa County to prepare Arizonans for a new normal.
“These behavioral changes that we are experiencing now are pretty extreme, but we are not ever going back to normal,” ACGU Director Dr. Paul Keim said. “At least not this generation, not people that live through this, we are not going to go back to the same type of situation where disease can rip through our population again.”
TGen Co-Director of Pathogen and Microbiome Dr. David Engelthaler said seasonal coronavirus should be expected. He said the virus is likely to infect a large majority of residents that have not yet experienced coronavirus symptoms.
The ACGU wants to isolate the coronavirus genome and identify the type of genes it contains. Sequencing the coronavirus genome could lead to expedited testing with better accuracy and results.
“In Arizona, just today we have gotten a little over 100 genomes and will probably be over 200 genomes by the end of the week and then we are starting to make sure we get receipt of about 100 genomes at a time,” said Engelthaler.
The ACGU utilizes supercomputers to run simulations that determine what compounds might be able to stop the coronavirus. ACGU gathered genome samples from Arizona, Washington, New York, Europe and China to get a better picture of how the virus is moving.
“As part of this Union, we have gone from really not understanding much at all about what is going on to adding a huge component that comes from the genomic perspective,” head of UA Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Dr. Michael Worobey said. “It tells us a whole lot about what has happened and where things might be going.”
Engelthaler said modern medicine and technological advances could reduce the time it takes to create a coronavirus vaccine. He believes next generation technology will bring new tools to bear and establish a call for open science medicine.
“Sequencing technologies and some of the advanced serology technology that is going to help with vaccine design was not around before and it’s actually being brought to bear, so I think globally we are fortunate this is happening at this particular time,” Engelthaler said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) coalition, which includes the ACGU, will share specific data regarding molecular biology methods to efficiently sequence the whole genome.
Keim said transparency will be a priority for ACGU. He said ACGU will share their results with Arizona public health officials.
Engelthaler said the virus is likely to linger in the Valley and keep residents on a roller coaster ride of emotions. He said the Valley cases will peak and plateau. He expects the virus to return in fall.
“It will likely be building and because most people are not getting infected right now there is still a whole lot more people to get infected once it goes back on an upswing,” Engelthaler said.
Contact the reporter at bmcano@asu.edu.
