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Last Posted: Jun 08, 2023
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Generation of SARS-CoV-2 escape mutations by monoclonal antibody therapy
MR Cronin et al, Nat Comm, June 7, 2023

COVID-19 patients at risk of severe disease may be treated with neutralising monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). To minimise virus escape from neutralisation these are administered as combinations e.g. casirivimab+imdevimab or, for antibodies targeting relatively conserved regions, individually e.g. sotrovimab. Unprecedented genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in the UK has enabled a genome-first approach to detect emerging drug resistance in Delta and Omicron cases treated with casirivimab+imdevimab and sotrovimab respectively.

China’s rolling COVID waves could hit every six months — infecting millions
Y Ye, Nature, June 7, 2023

The latest surge in COVID-19 cases in China is not surprising to researchers, who say that China will see an infection cycle every six months now that all COVID-19 restrictions have been removed and highly infectious variants are dominant. But they caution that rolling waves of infection carry the risk of new variants emerging.

Why the world needs more transparency on the origins of novel pathogens
M Venter, Nature, May 30, 2023

Platforms such as GISAID (the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data) have enabled important sequencing data to be shared by scientists, with the aim of also protecting researchers’ intellectual property. However, users of these data need to work more closely with the data owners to maintain trust and ensure that sharing continues in the future. Most importantly, we urge scientists and governments to make available all data, research and reports that can help in the identification of the origins of novel pathogens for all outbreaks, epidemics and global health emergencies.

Assessing the potential of polygenic scores to strengthen medical risk prediction models of COVID-19.
Aldo Córdova-Palomera et al. PLoS One 2023 5 (5) e0285991

In UK Biobank participants of European ancestry, the model achieved a relatively high performance (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve ~90%). Polygenic scores for COVID-19 computed from summary statistics of the Covid19 Host Genetics Initiative displayed significant associations with COVID-19 in the UK Biobank (p-values as low as 3.96e-9, all with R2 under 1%), but were unable to robustly improve predictive performance of the non-genetic factors.


Disclaimer: Articles listed in the Public Health Genomics and Precision Health Knowledge Base are selected by the CDC Office of Public Health Genomics to provide current awareness of the literature and news. Inclusion in the update does not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention nor does it imply endorsement of the article's methods or findings. CDC and DHHS assume no responsibility for the factual accuracy of the items presented. The selection, omission, or content of items does not imply any endorsement or other position taken by CDC or DHHS. Opinion, findings and conclusions expressed by the original authors of items included in the update, or persons quoted therein, are strictly their own and are in no way meant to represent the opinion or views of CDC or DHHS. References to publications, news sources, and non-CDC Websites are provided solely for informational purposes and do not imply endorsement by CDC or DHHS.

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