SARS-CoV-2, the reason behind the spread of the viral disease Coronavirus, now has its synthetic clones. Scientists from Switzerland have studied to recreate the COVID-19 to be used as a testing virus in the hope of faster development for a vaccine. Meanwhile, a Chinese researcher that was in the middle of a coronavirus study was found dead in his own home. The killer also found dead nearby the murder scene.
SARS-CoV-2 gets duplicated by scientists!
Scientists from a high-security laboratory at the University of Bern's Institute of Virology and Immunology in Switzerland have recently released a study claiming they've already recreated the structure of the SARS-CoV-2-- that only took a week of the experiment.
"We replicated the virus within the space of a week," Professor Volker Thiel, an organic geochemist at the University of Bern's Institute of Virology and Immunology, said in a statement. "Our model system using yeast cells shows that it is ideally suited for reconstructing coronaviruses and other viruses."
According to the report, the genetic code of the virus that is made up of a single-strand RNA molecule of about 30,000 bases containing 15 genes, now has its synthetic clones to be used for future experiments. However, not each part of the virus was exactly replicated, as explained by Thiel.
Cloning viruses is a common thing that most researchers do to find new methods to fight against the virus. These clones can be used as a tool to find antiviral treatments and even vaccines.
As also reported via Nature, the scientists used the "blueprint" of the genome sequence to reconstruct most of SARS-CoV-2's genetic material from synthetic DNA. However, as explained not every part of the genetic code was properly copied.
Though it is not technically full-replication of the virus, scientists claim that their findings could be a major factor to develop a vaccine soon.
COVID-19 Chinese researcher shot dead
Meanwhile, in related news of Coronavirus, NBC News recently reported a researcher at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine found dead in his own house.
Bing Liu, 37, was found with gunshot wounds around neck and head, inside his home in Ross Township, north of Pittsburgh.
Less than a mile from the crime scene, another dead body in a car was found by authorities. Investigations point out that the man from the car killed Liu and returned to his vehicle with self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
According to the statement from the University, Liu was on "the verge of making very significant findings toward understanding the cellular mechanisms that underlie SARS-CoV-2 infection and the cellular basis of the following complications."
"We will make an effort to complete what he started in an effort to pay homage to his scientific excellence," the school added.
It is still unknown whether the two deceased were related or knew each other.
