Scientists at the INNO Diagnostics and Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) at the Ponce Research Institute have identified a variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-like disease. 19 in tests performed on the island.
The strain identified by PHSU scientists contains the deletion 69-70, which is the one present in the version that was recently detected in the United Kingdom, United Kingdom B.1.1.7. According to data recently released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 315 cases of this variant have been detected in the United States, according to Dr. Vanessa Rivera-Amill, Scientific Director of INNO Diagnostics.
“In mid-December 2020, we began analyzing the results of molecular diagnostic tests to determine if we had evidence of interest. In the laboratory we develop a test that allows us to confirm whether or not we have the variant among the stored samples. Since then, the group of scientists consisting of laboratory technicians Andrea Arias and Raphael Sánchez, the clinical director of Dr. Gerardo Hernández, together with this servant, began the research process until the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus variant “, he indicated Rivera-Amill, who explained that this variant was first detected on the island, has implications for public health, as the revised literature states that these variants can spread more easily among humans.However, he stressed that identifying this variant is a an important step for the country’s scientific community, as it “will help mitigate the impact of spread in communities”.
For her part, Dr. Kenira Thompson, president of the Ponce Research Institute and vice president of research at PHSU, reported that once the variant was confirmed, she immediately contacted the Puerto Rican health secretary. “I knew there were probably COVID-19 variants in Puerto Rico. As scientists, our responsibility is to provide data that helps, not only in the development of other scientific tests, but also in the prevention strategies that are taking place in the country. We have a team of scientists with a high sense of commitment and dedication to science in Puerto Rico. From the beginning of the management of the pandemic on the island, we have worked tirelessly to contribute, in the scientific field, to the identification of solutions that allow us to contribute to the protection of everyone’s health and life “, said Thompson.
INNO Diagnostics is a reference laboratory in immunology and the first laboratory affiliated with an academic center that processes molecular samples to detect the virus that causes COVID-19. With 30 years of existence, INNO Diagnostics has been characterized by the development and implementation of reference diagnostic tests, as well as by genotyping and detection of the viral load for HIV. It is the only laboratory certified by the National Health Organization (WHO) for HIV genotype sequencing in Puerto Rico, the Caribbean and Latin America and provides diagnostic services to these regions.
To learn more about Ponce University of Health Sciences, interested people can visit www.psm.edu
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