A new study led by Harvard researchers models future SARS-CoV-2 mutations and forecasts their ability to evade immune defenses developed by vaccines and antibody-based treatments.
More and more countries around the world are struggling with a new wave of infections, with an alarming increase in COVID-19 cases. Mostly these new surges are attributed to variants of SARS-CoV-2.
In lay terms, a variant refers to a virus genetically distinct from its original strain. The emergence of variants in the microbial world is nothing new, just think of “superbugs” such as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), which is resistant to almost all the existing antibiotics.
How did the U.K., South Africa and Brazil variants emerge?
Genetic transformation of a virus occurs by mutation. Mutations emerge naturally in the microbial world. They are mistakes in the genetic code caused by copying processes in the cell. These mistakes are exploited by the virus to survive and establish itself, especially under adverse conditions.