SARS to be sequenced in joint study

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: Ticknor S <tick0001 () algonquincollege com>
Date: Sat, 05 Apr 2003 13:41:11 -0500
To: Farber Dave <dave () farber net>
Subject: SARS to be sequenced in joint study

hello Dave, i have never had the chance to contribute to your list, but
this memo came my way via a friend working at the British Columbia
Centre for Disease Control [BCCDC]. i hope you find it interesting.

your pal,
scotty technoir
--


Employee Bulletin - April 4, 2003:  GSC to Sequence SARS

The BCCA's Genome Sciences Centre is scheduled to begin sequencing the
SARS genome next week in collaboration with the BC Centre for Disease
Control (CDC) and the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg.

Determining the sequence of the virus will provide information
immediately useful in the detection of the virus, as well as
suggestions as to why the virus causes such serious illness. The
information generated could also support the design of a vaccine to
prevent the disease.

It is important for staff, patients and the public to understand that
the Agency's SARS related research will not increase their exposure or
risk of contamination.  At no point will there be infectious agents at
the BC Cancer Agency.  In fact, no GSC staff will come in contact with
the infectious virus.

For the virus to be contagious, it must be intact, explains Dr.
Caroline Astell, Project Leader at the GSC and an international expert
in viral biology.  The GSC will work only with segments of the virus's
RNA genome, and these small fragments are not infectious.

"It is our hope that sequencing the genome of the virus responsible for
SARS will reveal its identity, and provide the information necessary to
enable rapid diagnostic tests," explains Dr. Marco Marra, Director of
the GSC.   "Perhaps as importantly, the experience we gain by
sequencing the SARS genome will enable us to react even more rapidly in
the likely event there is another viral or bacterial outbreak in the
future."

The first phase of the GSC's efforts will focus on recovering segments
of the viral genome.  This work will take place at CDC, where the GSC
is currently renting lab space.  The second phase will be the
sequencing of the viral segments, which will be conducted in the GSC's
primary lab in the Agency's Vancouver Centre.

"Our researchers are poised to make an important contribution to
tackling this health issue," notes Dr. Simon Sutcliffe. "Some of the
world's best scientists are here in our labs and we are pleased that
they will be able to lend their expertise in generating new knowledge
in support of controlling and treating the virus."

If you have general questions about SARS, please contact the Agency's
Infection Control team (Dr. Fred Roberts or Darlene Spence).  If you
have a specific question about the GSC's role in sequencing the virus,
please contact Caroline Astell at local 2536.  Any media calls should
be directed to Nicole Adams in Public Relations at local 6272.

 

THIS EMAIL IS SENT ON BEHALF OF MARCO MARRA

Important Notice to all Staff at the Genome Sciences Centre.    April
4,03

As the Director of the GSC I want to inform all of you of a new project
that we will be undertaking at the GSC.

As you will have heard from the media over the last few weeks, SARS
(sudden acute respiratory syndrome) has become a major health concern
around the world.  In collaboration with the BC  Centre for Disease
Control  (BCCDC) and the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg
(NML), we have decided to determine the sequence of this virus that is
likely responsible for SARS.

The SARS virus is probably a new Coronavirus that emerged in China some
months ago and has since spread through much of the world.
Coronaviruses contain a 30,000 nucleotide genome that is RNA.  This is
essentially a very large mRNA.

Safety is a primary concern at the GSC, hence I want to inform all of
you of the plans we have to sequence this genome.  First, I emphasize
that no employee at the GSC will come in contact with the infectious
virus.  This will all be handled  by qualified experts at the NML or
BCCDC. They will treat the virus preparations with TRIZOL (which will
totally inactivate and destroy the virus, leaving the RNA genome
intact).  The outside of the tubes will be treated with bleach ( twice-
at the NML and the BCCDC) to destroy any infectious material that may
be on the tube from handling. Mr. Jas Khattra will undertake to
construct at least two cDNA libraries in laboratories at the CDC and
these libraries will be sequenced by methods routinely in use at the
GSC.

To give you a sense of the importance of this work, three obvious
outcomes are that having the sequence, it will be possible to design
sets of primers that can be used to develop sensitive diagnostic tools
to detect the virus. On a longer term, the sequence information will be
useful in designing vaccines for this pathogen. Finally, having the
sequence will allow us to understand how this virus arose.  Because of
the nature of Coronaviruses, it has very likely recombined with another
virus and the sequence information is the most effective way of
determining this.



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