HYDERABAD: As many as 34 whole-genome sequences of SARS-COV-2 were submitted to the global database by city-based Centre for DNA and Fingerprinting and Diagnostics.
CDFD's national genomics core has sequenced the virus isolated from 100 patients. Further analysis is on to detect the variations.
Dr Debashis Mitra, the outgoing CDFD director, told TOI: “We have sequenced genome of coronavirus in 100 samples from different patients.
We have uploaded 34 of them to global GISAID database. We are working on the rest and will upload later. Unless analysis is completed, we can't talk about the variations.”
“All the samples are collected from
Telangana. We are testing 100 samples a day on an average. But in the past few days, number of samples went up to 300 per day,” he added.
The team of researchers, led by scientist Ashwin Dalal, is part of the department of biotechnology initiative DBT's PAN-India 1,000 Genome Consortium. CDFD researchers are doing Covid-19 tests for the samples sent by the Telangana health department.
The genomic study on the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19 is being coordinated by
National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (NIBMG), along with active participation from CDFD, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine, National Centre for Cell Science and Institute of Life Sciences.
"The study is to sequence the SARS-CoV-2 genome from individuals testing positive for the infection. Efforts to sequence viral genomes from different parts of the country have been initiated under this programme," said CDFD.,"
National Genomics Core of CDFD is providing genomic solutions on SARS COV 2 genome sequencing from planning, sequencing to data analysis and data delivery.
Since the outbreak of COVID19 GSIAID has got 55,000 submissions from across the world, including India. Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology is also involved in genome sequencing.