Genome sequencing to help assess virus spread
dubai — The UAE’s first full genome sequencing of the Covid-19 virus will help scientists understand how it spreads. The successful sequencing of the virus from a patient in Dubai was performed by researchers at the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU).
Professor Alawi Alsheikh-Ali, MBRU’s Provost, Member of the Emirates Scientist Council and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Group for the Command and Control Centre, noted: “This development is an important first step of a larger study in collaboration with colleagues from the Dubai Health Authority and the Al Jalila Children’s Genomic Centre. We aim to fully sequence viral samples from 240 patients with Covid-19 across various age groups and at different time points of this pandemic. We will also collect information on the severity of disease in our patients which can help us understand if different strains of the virus are associated with different levels of disease severity.”
Tracing the origin
Dr Ahmad Abou Tayoun, Associate Professor of Genetics at MBRU and Director of the Genomics Centre at Al Jalila Children’s, said: “This is a specific example of how this information can help trace the origin of infection in this specific patient from the UAE, and can tell us a lot about viral transmission in the country . Moreover, given Dubai’s role and geographic position as a bridge between the East and the West, this information will also help in understanding how the pandemic has been spreading globally.”
Dr Amer Sharif, vice-chancellor of the MBRU and head of Dubai’s Covid-19 Command and Control Centre, said scientific research is a
critical resource for the centre’s strategies and actions against the virus. “We are fortunate to have academic institutions that can join other sectors in Dubai in the fight against Covid-19.”
The sequencing study is led by an experienced research team from MBRU, DHA and national universities. The team includes experts in virology, epidemiology, public health, genetics, and clinical research. The team is also working on other research questions related to Covid-19 and will
continue to build collaborations with research institutions in the UAE and abroad.
The Covid-19 Command and Control Centre was established by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council, to enhance collaboration across the healthcare sector and ensure alignment with the Dubai Government’s efforts to tackle the outbreak.