Litbangkes, together with other institutions, plans to map the genome of the sars Cov-2 virus
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – The government is trying to anticipate the emergence strain virus new Covid-19 in various ways. Such as supporting all research related to Sars Cov-2 and Covid-19, including the development of vaccines and antivirals to strengthening virological surveillance.
Spokesperson for the Covid-19 Handling Task Force Prof. Wiku Adisasmito, the Health Research and Development Institute (Litbangkes) and the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology together with 10 other molecular biology institutions are planning to carry out more mapping and surveillance of the Sars Cov-2 virus genome. Using the Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) method on clinical samples from various regions.
“The government is committed to strengthening virological surveillance so that it can break the chain of transmission of Covid-19. This is an important aspect of mapping the distribution of virus types in Indonesia,” he explained in the press conference agenda “Covid-19: Reflections on the End of 2020 and Towards 2021. “at the BNPB Building, Thursday (31/12) which was also broadcasted by the Presidential Secretariat YouTube channel.
This is useful in detecting potential new virus strains that can affect the ongoing handling of Covid-19. Wiku continued to educate the public about how virological surveillance works.
Namely, that the genome or genetic material of an organism such as a virus, bacteria or a human being is composed of DNA. For this DNA, among organisms, for example the Sars Cov-2 virus, the DNA structure can change or be different. So that it can affect the ability to infect it.
Scientists in the laboratory using the whole genome sequencing (WGS) procedure are an attempt to look at the genetic code sequences. In general, there are 4 stages in the WGS process, especially to identify the Covid-19 virus.
First, namely DNA sharing or cutting DNA. Which is done molecular cutting of the viral DNA into smaller pieces so that it can be read by a DNA sequencing machine.
Second, DNA barcoding or DNA coding. Namely giving a code or tag, or it can be called a barcode. To make it easier to identify viral DNA.
Third, whole genome sequencing is the process of inserting DNA from several viral samples into a device called the whole genome squencer. This tool will use a barcode to trace the origin of the DNA ownership.
Fourth, data analysis is the process of comparing viral DNA sequences and identifying the differences. Because of these many differences, it can provide information on how closely the virus strains are and how likely they are to cause the same symptoms in humans. “Whole genome sequencing is principally used to understand the distribution and spread patterns of viruses and to provide information on the characteristics of each isolate in each region, which is of course useful for prevention and control,” Wiku explained.
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