COVID-19 Genetics | Science News 2.1

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  • čas přidán 22. 07. 2024
  • Livestream link: • COVID-19 Genetics | Sc...
    I want to answer your questions about the genetics of the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. I'm a geneticist, and feel like this is the part of the science that I can try and help communicate. Leave your questions in the comments below, and we'll talk about them together this Friday at noon PST.
    Well. I wanted this week’s 2-part science news video to be about a new CRISPR study, but instead, I just think it makes the most sense to talk about the genetics of COVID-19.
    Let’s start with some basics. In their simplest form, viruses have two main parts: their genetic material, which could be DNA or RNA, and some kind of protein package that holds the genetic material. COVID-19 is an RNA virus. This means that the genetic material inside of it is stored as RNA, not DNA. And for COVID-19, that RNA is found within a nucleocapsid protein structure, which is inside of a lipid membrane envelope. That envelope is covered in spike proteins, which are what give the coronaviruses their name--they look a bit like a crown or corona.
    To replicate, it must infect a host cell and hijack that cell’s replication and protein production machinery. Those spike proteins on the outside of the virus are what attach to receptors in the cells of your lungs, ACE2 receptors. The virus then fuses its membrane with the cell’s membrane and releases its RNA into the cell. This is where it takes advantage of that cell’s machinery to make more RNA and more of its capsid and envelope proteins.
    But really, the virus’s RNA genome doesn’t need to contain too much information. It’s only about 30,000 bases long, and encodes for the proteins that it needs to make more virus. Once the new RNA and proteins are replicated they are assembled into new viruses, which then leave the cell to go infect more cells. There’s an awesome infographic from the NYTimes that goes over this that I’ve linked here: www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...
    Other Resources:
    What is QPCR: dnadots.minipcr.com/dnadots/r...
    Using genetics to track how it spreads:
    www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/...
    Using genetics to figure out where it came from: www.nature.com/articles/s4159...
    A special thank you to my Patreon patrons. I'm pretty sure videos about this can't be monetized right now, so you are truly my heroes helping me to do what I do. This of course includes my helicases:
    Marcel Ward
    Russ Determan
    Ben Krasnow
    Palle Helenius
    Tim Rhodes
    Peter Cook
    Brad
    Diane & George Dainis
    Don Burlone
    Tim McNally
    William Pilkington
    Twitter: @AlexDainis
    Instagram: Alex.Dainis
    Patreon: / alexdainis
    Video produced by Helicase Media LLC (my new science production company!) www.helicasemedia.com
  • Věda a technologie

Komentáře • 185

  • @AlexDainisPhD
    @AlexDainisPhD  Před 4 lety +42

    Important naming clarification that was *not* clear in this video: The virus itself is called SARS-CoV-2, and the disease that it causes is called COVID-19. I will reiterate this in the livestream to try and keep everything straight.

    • @kurentmalik
      @kurentmalik Před 4 lety

      Please please always transcribe your talking for those of us who don't speak English very well. Thank you!

    • @AlexDainisPhD
      @AlexDainisPhD  Před 4 lety +1

      @@kurentmalik Hi Malik! Transcriptions/captions are coming! I have been so so fortunate to work with DCMP who do that for me, but I usually give them no notice before posting a video (absolutely my fault!) so it usually takes a few days. But they will show up soon!

    • @kurentmalik
      @kurentmalik Před 4 lety

      @@AlexDainisPhD What can I say... A true European hero :D

    • @johnstephens7523
      @johnstephens7523 Před 4 lety

      Is the crispr a fully developed media to battle the sars/carona virus?

    • @geromlili4519
      @geromlili4519 Před 4 lety

      Nice smile and teeth

  • @AronFiechter
    @AronFiechter Před 4 lety +27

    I'd love to hear about the test kits themselves, about whether they are hard to manufacture and about how it would be possible to make more tests to more people.
    Stay safe!

    • @rjmackenzie
      @rjmackenzie Před 4 lety +1

      Yes! Also different kinds of tests, and speeds and how reliable the tests might be.

    • @shahadmohammedalomari9854
      @shahadmohammedalomari9854 Před 4 lety

      I’m biologist from ksa and I can help you for covid19 please understand me I’m gonna work in biggest research Center

    • @MegzeeR
      @MegzeeR Před 4 lety +1

      Here's what you're looking for:
      n the “CDC 2019-Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Panel“ file from March 30, 2020, for example, it says:
      Detection of viral RNA may not indicate the presence of infectious virus or that 2019-nCoV is the causative agent for clinical symptoms”
      And:
      This test cannot rule out diseases caused by other
      This test cannot rule out diseases caused by other bacterial or viral pathogens.”
      And the FDA admits that:
      positive results […] do not rule out bacterial infection or co-infection with other viruses. The agent detected may not be the definite cause of disease.”
      and/or
      We have also contacted Dr Charles Calisher, who is a seasoned virologist. In 2001, Science published an “impassioned plea…to the younger generation” from several veteran virologists, among them Calisher, saying that:
      [modern virus detection methods like] sleek polymerase chain reaction […] tell little or nothing about how a virus multiplies, which animals carry it, [or] how it makes people sick. [It is] like trying to say whether somebody has bad breath by looking at his fingerprint.”[3]
      And that’s why we asked Dr Calisher whether he knows one single paper in which SARS-CoV-2 has been isolated and finally really purified. His answer:
      I know of no such a publication. I have kept an eye out for one.”[4]
      This actually means that one cannot conclude that the RNA gene sequences, which the scientists took from the tissue samples prepared in the mentioned in vitro trials and for which the PCR tests are finally being “calibrated,” belong to a specific virus - in this case SARS-CoV-2.

    • @arctican7483
      @arctican7483 Před 3 lety

      @@MegzeeR also Kary Mullis ( the inventor of PCR) said that PCR is a good toll for scientific researsch and a bad tool for medical diagnosis. So we shouldn't test for covid-19 with it. We don't know the genetic sequence, and we don't have a gold standard to compare the PCR, if it does a good job testing for the virus.
      In conclusion all of this is GREAT HOAX just to destroy de economy, rich people get richer and poor people get poorer. And also a lot of control gained by the government and 5G will be everywhere.

  • @anoopvailedath311
    @anoopvailedath311 Před 4 lety

    It's such great news to be informed about the virus by a geneticist! I'm so glad I subscribed to your channel, Alex! Will definitely stay tuned for the livestream :)

  • @calebcragle5931
    @calebcragle5931 Před 4 lety +1

    I have used your videos in my biology class for years!! My students and I will be tuning in Friday :) Thank you!!

  • @elliottmcollins
    @elliottmcollins Před 4 lety +1

    "Stay put & Wash your hands". Loving the new tag line.
    Would love to hear about how exactly a test for a specific virus works. Still seems like magic to me.

  • @Bewleys_
    @Bewleys_ Před 4 lety

    I really appreciate the clarity on these videos on between what you do know and do not claim to know/be an authority figure about. From the point of view from a uni student trapped in their very small dorm room.
    Cheers.

  • @zayyaphonepyaih9443
    @zayyaphonepyaih9443 Před 4 lety

    You're doing a really grand job on explaining all these confusing subjects in simple words. Thanks for enlightening us ! Cheers.

  • @boostbeetle
    @boostbeetle Před 4 lety +5

    Thank you for the information and look forward to the livestream. Notable moment of both seriousness and tenderness, the "go forth, do science" as "stay put, and wash your hands" was a wonderful, heartwarming, and heavy touch that solidified the gravity more than most things.

  • @leesouthworth
    @leesouthworth Před 4 lety +1

    This will be a great Livestream, looking forward to it

  • @judefrancisco1463
    @judefrancisco1463 Před 4 lety

    Keep up the good work Alex. All of your videos are informative. Please don't stop creating amazing videos.

    • @yasserelgabry
      @yasserelgabry Před 4 lety

      Thank you for your extremely evident presentation, but I have two questions, please. My 1st one is, what do you study to be a geneticist? 2nd question is, do you have any suspicion that the origin of this SARS - Cov- 2 , is just accidental leakage from any lab? 🤔

  • @the5chronicles
    @the5chronicles Před 4 lety +6

    Hey I just wanted to say ive been watching for years and I love your videos

  • @ralfriend25
    @ralfriend25 Před 4 lety

    I am really interested about all what you said i hope if you just extend the video series to 3 or 4 parts to talk more about the three topics that you mentioned because it's very interesting
    thanks

  • @The_Mendoza
    @The_Mendoza Před 4 lety +1

    Thanks Alex! These videos are always insightful and I appreciate the thoughts in this one. :)

  • @joshmyer9
    @joshmyer9 Před 4 lety +3

    What's this thing: a test protocol for viruses. I'm super curious how this kind of test works, and the logistics of sharing them with other labs/scientists. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and creating more brain power in the world!

  • @hughxiao7078
    @hughxiao7078 Před 4 lety

    I would love to learn more about the qPCR! It's a word that's been tossed around in the lab a lot and I would love to learn the concept in the coronavirus context. Thank you for making the videos!

  • @hfelippejr
    @hfelippejr Před 4 lety +2

    Hi, Alex. I've looked up the NYTime's infographic and, just out of curiosity, what are the timescales we're talking about? From the time it takes the virus to attach, replicate its RNA and destroy the cell? (I tried but couldn't find the answer.) Thank you.

  • @littleochoa1
    @littleochoa1 Před 4 lety +1

    Alex, First I would like to thank you for your amazing videos. I really don’t have a question but maybe a suggestion.
    I’ve homeschooled my daughter for 8 years and from time to time I’ve used your videos to spark her interests. With a good amount of kids being home from school. This might give you an amazing opportunity to make some Science 101 video for kids. Thank you for all that you do! You are inspiring so many little girls.
    Go forth, wash your hands and do science!

  • @neevkhera8820
    @neevkhera8820 Před 4 lety

    Could you also please comment on the reliability of the tests being used?

  • @hjvela
    @hjvela Před 4 lety

    Hi Alex, I´m Henry, thanks for your video. What is the best sequence or region to use for diagnostic for covid-19 and why?
    I´m gona use Orf1ab and N y a multiplex PCR Kit. What do you think.
    Thank you, from Lima

  • @lankeshs8775
    @lankeshs8775 Před 3 lety

    When are you talking about sequencing and rtpcr

  • @eunicefelix4413
    @eunicefelix4413 Před 4 lety

    Hello. Can you give me the PDB code for the Spike protein?

  • @bhavyathakur5361
    @bhavyathakur5361 Před 4 lety

    Hi Alex, I have question regarding SARSCoV2 gene sequence, I wanted to find out specific gene sequence i.e antisense for diagnostic purpose, how much base pair will be fine? Thank you

  • @97LifeMelody
    @97LifeMelody Před 4 lety

    I would like to know more about the vaccines being developed. What type of vaccines are they? And how reliable would you expect them to be and for how long? How mutable is the virus compared to other viruses like the seasonal flu, for example, and how would this pandemic evolve in the future given the nature of the viral genome we are dealing with. Also what is the molecular mechanism through which the virus infects the body? How is it for other corona viruses?
    Thank you! Love from Europe. I watched your last live stream while doing a FISH on my transgenic Drosophila embryos. I love your videos and how relatable your journey feels to me (I am also here to learn...the hard way).
    Go forth, do science!

  • @RossLarson
    @RossLarson Před 4 lety

    How does the folding@Home COVID-19 processing help with the virus research process?

  • @santhoshbm8
    @santhoshbm8 Před 4 lety

    Can the reason be found about the mutation. Whether it's natural or artificially tailored?

  • @TheSunriseAnimation
    @TheSunriseAnimation Před 4 lety

    I`m interested in what exactly projects like Rosetta@home or Folding@home do, what part do they play in the development of a vaccine? I already read some of their articles but think its good to make them more publicly known and get more people involved.

  • @davidsoasis
    @davidsoasis Před 4 lety

    I an curious can we test the virus genetically and come up with where it came from and what was the carrier[bat?]. Somewhere in my travels with learning,a scientist said it could be done.

  • @hughxiao7078
    @hughxiao7078 Před 4 lety

    Just got back here from the live stream. ​Thanks again for the videos! How did we isolate COVID-19 virus when it was done for the first time when the test kits for this virus were absent?

  • @enduringvalues5353
    @enduringvalues5353 Před 4 lety

    Hi you are such a nice teacher , i like your sharing and experience. Thankyou Alex

  • @MartynDerg
    @MartynDerg Před 4 lety

    Whoa I've been subscribed to you for longer than I can remember but this is the first time youtube has recommended your videos to me- I think I subscribed from a collab with tom scott or vsauce or something? The algorithm is really messed up. I love your stuff and will probably binge it tomorrow XD

  • @mikeklaene4359
    @mikeklaene4359 Před 4 lety

    Thanks - a rather clear explanation. Even this old, as in 73, computer geek understood you explanation.
    I saw the movie "Contagion" when it first came out and again on cable about 3 weeks ago.
    One of my favorite lines was "This thing is figuring us out faster than we are figuring it out." How relevant is that concept to this current SARS-CoV-2 virus?
    Also, younger folks seem to be less vulnerable than are those my age.
    Stay safe and stay healthy.

  • @tonytone3522
    @tonytone3522 Před 4 lety

    Great info, the part about genetics I think is key here

  • @EthanShalev
    @EthanShalev Před 4 lety +1

    Why does it matter where the virus came from? What can we use that information for?

  • @broembeteboroberek5820

    I have a question: I have a mutation in gene COMP with is responsible for olygometric proteins. Can I be infectected with the corona virus?

  • @designstudiods2901
    @designstudiods2901 Před 4 lety

    I'm not into this field. Out of curiosity and few conspiracies about COVID19, I'm asking this question. Is there any chance for an uninfected patient to show positive RT PCR result?

  • @Uk01agent0
    @Uk01agent0 Před 3 lety

    Do we have the knowledge to replace or enhance a specific gene in Human body . My question aims at "enhancing" so that virus doesn't recognize the ACE2 . Or just Simply Enhancing ACE2 producing certain protein that restrict protein utilization for the virus if it ask for more RNA copies .

  • @marwan101able
    @marwan101able Před 4 lety

    what are chemical bonds that may stabilize “spike” protein in coronavirus, , why each of which occurs ?

  • @anoopvailedath311
    @anoopvailedath311 Před 4 lety

    The livestream will happen 3am here in the Philippines sadly. I wonder if ill still be able to watch the replay :(

  • @philiplemmens3977
    @philiplemmens3977 Před 4 lety

    In our household we had a cough for a week but otherwise felt the same.
    When we woke up the cough was light to moderate and lasted most of the morning. Scant amount of sputum was occasionally expectorated. No temperature. Neighbors also said they had the same symptoms of just the month long cough. We are wondering now what did we have. Corona? We debated all month if we should see the doctor but felt they would think nothing of it. Any clue?
    T

  • @bene20080
    @bene20080 Před 4 lety

    Nice, staying home, is where I shine a lot!

  • @xja85mac
    @xja85mac Před 4 lety

    One silly question I would like to ask is exactly how is a virus neutralised by cleaning agents? My understanding as a chemist is that proteins are denatured by oxidation or replacement of water molecules.

  • @dailyroutines551
    @dailyroutines551 Před 3 lety

    Can you explain about orf1ab gene?

  • @vincentgagnon8309
    @vincentgagnon8309 Před 4 lety

    Hi Alex! I would like to hear more about how the test kits works :-) Cheers!

  • @tygerologist
    @tygerologist Před 4 lety

    I’d love to hear about your experience with PCR, and it’s application with covid
    I would also like to hear about Covids sequencing, infection clusters and tracing transmission. Also any mutations that are present.

  • @TheLukezilla
    @TheLukezilla Před 4 lety +1

    What do we know about the mutability of SARS-CoV2 as it spreads through populations? Does it have a propensity for recombination, and if so, should we be worried about escape mutants specifically regarding the Roche and Thermo Fisher assays?

  • @dekonfrost7
    @dekonfrost7 Před 4 lety

    Where did you go to school?
    Ever work in a p4 lab?
    What work have you done in gene editing?
    Gain of function work with viral or bacterial pathogens?
    Or worked p 3 labs? And in what universities or private labs?

  • @MrEmperorrrr
    @MrEmperorrrr Před 4 lety

    What causes the rapid mutation?

  • @yohan9577
    @yohan9577 Před 4 lety

    Hi Alex ! This is a very good idea ! If I may ask you 2 questions: how does a test kit work for this specific COVID-19 ? (is there a traditionnal approach, and new testing strategies ? not sure it's related to genetics anyway) and: Is there a chance that genetics could help protecting people from this specific virus ? (is there a way to hack/block this ARN from working once in place ?) Thanks a lot. You're a wonderful teacher ;-)

  • @jacobnahial1126
    @jacobnahial1126 Před 4 lety

    I'd like to ask what specific fruit or vegetable could lessen the risk of having COVID-19? Thank you for the information and I hope you're doing well right now. God Bless you!

  • @leaf732
    @leaf732 Před 4 lety +3

    I’d love to review different “strains” of the virus. How many are there, how do they differ and if there’s any health relevance to the differences

    • @MegzeeR
      @MegzeeR Před 4 lety

      Here's a very good and detailed article about what's been happening with this: off-guardian.org/2020/06/27/covid19-pcr-tests-are-scientifically-meaningless/;
      Study 1: Leo L. M. Poon; Malik Peiris. “Emergence of a novel human coronavirus threatening human health” Nature Medicine, March 2020
      Replying Author: Malik Peiris
      Date: May 12, 2020
      Answer: “The image is the virus budding from an infected cell. It is not purified virus.”
      Study 2: Myung-Guk Han et al. “Identification of Coronavirus Isolated from a Patient in Korea with COVID-19”, Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives, February 2020
      Replying Author: Myung-Guk Han
      Date: May 6, 2020
      Answer: “We could not estimate the degree of purification because we do not purify and concentrate the virus cultured in cells.”
      Study 3: Wan Beom Park et al. “Virus Isolation from the First Patient with SARS-CoV-2 in Korea”, Journal of Korean Medical Science, February 24, 2020
      Replying Author: Wan Beom Park
      Date: March 19, 2020
      Answer: “We did not obtain an electron micrograph showing the degree of purification.”
      Study 4: Na Zhu et al., “A Novel Coronavirus from Patients with Pneumonia in China”, 2019, New England Journal of Medicine, February 20, 2020
      Replying Author: Wenjie Tan
      Date: March 18, 2020
      Answer: “[We show] an image of sedimented virus particles, not purified ones.”
      Regarding the mentioned papers it is clear that what is shown in the electron micrographs (EMs) is the end result of the experiment, meaning there is no other result that they could have made EMs from.
      That is to say, if the authors of these studies concede that their published EMs do not show purified particles, then they definitely do not possess purified particles claimed to be viral. (In this context, it has to be remarked that some researchers use the term “isolation” in their papers, but the procedures described therein do not represent a proper isolation (purification) process. Consequently, in this context the term “isolation” is misused).
      Thus, the authors of four of the principal, early 2020 papers claiming discovery of a new coronavirus concede they had no proof that the origin of the virus genome was viral-like particles or cellular debris, pure or impure, or particles of any kind. In other words, the existence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA is based on faith, not fact.
      We have also contacted Dr Charles Calisher, who is a seasoned virologist. In 2001, Science published an “impassioned plea…to the younger generation” from several veteran virologists, among them Calisher, saying that:
      [modern virus detection methods like] sleek polymerase chain reaction […] tell little or nothing about how a virus multiplies, which animals carry it, [or] how it makes people sick. [It is] like trying to say whether somebody has bad breath by looking at his fingerprint.”[3]
      And that’s why we asked Dr Calisher whether he knows one single paper in which SARS-CoV-2 has been isolated and finally really purified. His answer:
      I know of no such a publication. I have kept an eye out for one.”[4]

  • @zachwilson6075
    @zachwilson6075 Před 4 lety

    How many genes does SARS-CoV-2 have and what is the function of each gene?

  • @valleybay9183
    @valleybay9183 Před 4 lety

    Thank you for this video, Dr. Alex!
    I caught some info briefly in passing in an online discussion where I only now vaguely recall the claim was made that PCR testing for "Rona" (Covid-19) is not necessarily reliable since the test simply looks for a DNA/RNA sequence that Rona has, but we have as well. I've spent several minutes trying to find a credible paper on that (in layman's terms) but haven't found one yet.
    So can you settle this by explaining how the PCR test is able to distinguish Rona's RNA sequence from a matching sequence in the human genome?

    • @MegzeeR
      @MegzeeR Před 4 lety +1

      Here you go! Great article with many links to your FINALLY GREAT QUESTION!! Some of it's contents are here:
      Study 1: Leo L. M. Poon; Malik Peiris. “Emergence of a novel human coronavirus threatening human health” Nature Medicine, March 2020
      Replying Author: Malik Peiris
      Date: May 12, 2020
      Answer: “The image is the virus budding from an infected cell. It is not purified virus.”
      Study 2: Myung-Guk Han et al. “Identification of Coronavirus Isolated from a Patient in Korea with COVID-19”, Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives, February 2020
      Replying Author: Myung-Guk Han
      Date: May 6, 2020
      Answer: “We could not estimate the degree of purification because we do not purify and concentrate the virus cultured in cells.”
      Study 3: Wan Beom Park et al. “Virus Isolation from the First Patient with SARS-CoV-2 in Korea”, Journal of Korean Medical Science, February 24, 2020
      Replying Author: Wan Beom Park
      Date: March 19, 2020
      Answer: “We did not obtain an electron micrograph showing the degree of purification.”
      Study 4: Na Zhu et al., “A Novel Coronavirus from Patients with Pneumonia in China”, 2019, New England Journal of Medicine, February 20, 2020
      Replying Author: Wenjie Tan
      Date: March 18, 2020
      Answer: “[We show] an image of sedimented virus particles, not purified ones.”
      Regarding the mentioned papers it is clear that what is shown in the electron micrographs (EMs) is the end result of the experiment, meaning there is no other result that they could have made EMs from.
      That is to say, if the authors of these studies concede that their published EMs do not show purified particles, then they definitely do not possess purified particles claimed to be viral. (In this context, it has to be remarked that some researchers use the term “isolation” in their papers, but the procedures described therein do not represent a proper isolation (purification) process. Consequently, in this context the term “isolation” is misused).
      Thus, the authors of four of the principal, early 2020 papers claiming discovery of a new coronavirus concede they had no proof that the origin of the virus genome was viral-like particles or cellular debris, pure or impure, or particles of any kind. In other words, the existence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA is based on faith, not fact.
      We have also contacted Dr Charles Calisher, who is a seasoned virologist. In 2001, Science published an “impassioned plea…to the younger generation” from several veteran virologists, among them Calisher, saying that:
      [modern virus detection methods like] sleek polymerase chain reaction […] tell little or nothing about how a virus multiplies, which animals carry it, [or] how it makes people sick. [It is] like trying to say whether somebody has bad breath by looking at his fingerprint.”[3]
      And that’s why we asked Dr Calisher whether he knows one single paper in which SARS-CoV-2 has been isolated and finally really purified. His answer:
      I know of no such a publication. I have kept an eye out for one.”[4]
      Here is the link to it: off-guardian.org/2020/06/27/covid19-pcr-tests-are-scientifically-meaningless/

  • @hopesmothermon1
    @hopesmothermon1 Před 4 lety

    sense it highjacks our dna sequence will it permanently change our dna structure?

  • @muhammedsajilrahman1286

    well said ,Thanks for your information

  • @aakaashvlogs8567
    @aakaashvlogs8567 Před 3 lety

    Mam how is the RNA spread through oru body pls answer

  • @alaaelrefaay2893
    @alaaelrefaay2893 Před 4 lety

    I am wondering about mutations and is it possible that the virus interactions differ from one population to another?
    The other question, what is next when it comes to immunity of oneself from a genetics prospective?

  • @rolfs2165
    @rolfs2165 Před 4 lety

    In the early days I read that samples are tested three times and only declared positive if all three tests come up positive. Maybe you could explain why that was done?
    And a friend (environmental engineer) mentioned primer dimer and that it can lead to false negatives in PCR. Topic for a tangent?

  • @UttarpurvBharat
    @UttarpurvBharat Před 4 lety

    Why this is rna virus when it's genome contains thyamine ? Is than pseudo uracil ?

  • @sabicsepregi6521
    @sabicsepregi6521 Před 3 lety

    Is it true that PCR is not really suitable for diagnosis? Is it true that the virus has never been isolated?

  • @apainintheaas
    @apainintheaas Před 4 lety

    As someone in home quarantine I appreciate youtube videos a lot, thank you for making them. Now for some questions. I mainly have questions about mutations in the virus. Does the type of genes in the virus (RNA vs DNA) have any significant impact on how quickly it can mutate? I have heard some stories that different strains of SARS-CoV-2 were used to keep track of the way it spread. Do you know wether this is could be true? And how easy/hard would it be to identify the different strains? This also makes me wonder how much of its RNA is actually expressed.
    Anyway, to anyone reading this: good luck, stay safe, stay calm and call your grandparents if you have any ;)

    • @MegzeeR
      @MegzeeR Před 4 lety

      off-guardian.org/2020/06/27/covid19-pcr-tests-are-scientifically-meaningless/ This will help answer your question

  • @nsonukum2166
    @nsonukum2166 Před 4 lety

    nice explaination mam.

  • @calebcragle5931
    @calebcragle5931 Před 4 lety

    Is there a direct link that can be shared? I am currently showing this video to my classes and would like to share the live feed link if possible.

    • @AlexDainisPhD
      @AlexDainisPhD  Před 4 lety +1

      I'm so humbled that you're sharing this with your classes. I will scheduled the livestream and create a link a little later today--I'll make sure to reply here with it once it has been created!

    • @AlexDainisPhD
      @AlexDainisPhD  Před 4 lety

      The livestream link is now here: czcams.com/video/Dk961zalPlQ/video.html

    • @calebcragle5931
      @calebcragle5931 Před 4 lety

      Thank you, I am sharing it out to all 700 biology students in my school, I know my last period class will be there :)

  • @wileecoyoti
    @wileecoyoti Před 4 lety

    I really wish I had a better understanding of PCR, if there's a way you can explain how that works for us lay-physicists?

  • @johnpeterson7264
    @johnpeterson7264 Před 4 lety

    Hi - id love to hear more about host interaction / genetic differences in inflammatory host response

  • @mid7699
    @mid7699 Před 4 lety

    Can crispr help in covid?

  • @mohammad323ful
    @mohammad323ful Před 4 lety +4

    Hey 👋..if you can talk about how coronavirus evolves from animals to humans ❤️ and the qPCR ...regards

    • @AlexDainisPhD
      @AlexDainisPhD  Před 4 lety

      I will talk about both of these things. Thanks for your question!

  • @kelpf0rest
    @kelpf0rest Před 4 lety +1

    Great video Alex! Thanks for the clarity and passion as always. Forgive my ignorance on human genetics, but I have several questions about how genetics plays a role in this pandemic.
    1) Are there demographics of people who are genetically predisposed to certain kinds of viral infections? Perhaps genetic immunity?
    2) Is the reason this virus infects humans and not other mammals/animals a genetic one?
    3) On a non-genetic note, do you foresee mutations of Covid-19 prolonging the effects of the pandemic even after a vaccine is developed?

    • @AlexDainisPhD
      @AlexDainisPhD  Před 4 lety +2

      These are all great questions, and it's not ignorance at all! I will try and tackle these as best as possible on Friday. Thank you so much for asking them.

  • @brachiofnord
    @brachiofnord Před 4 lety +1

    Why do you think the testing kit is qRT-PCR instead of just RT-PCR? Having quantitative output seems to be unnecessary if the goal is to get a binary answer.

    • @AlexDainisPhD
      @AlexDainisPhD  Před 4 lety

      I have been wondering this myself, and am trying to find a solid answer by Friday. I did see a tweet today about doing batch testing, where I can see some benefit to qRT, but I'm not about to base my answer off a tweet!

    • @brachiofnord
      @brachiofnord Před 4 lety +1

      @@AlexDainisPhD I was thinking more about it and I think the quantitative nature maybe incidental and the important factor is that it's real-time nature as there is no need to run a gel afterwards. Or maybe there's a better answer :)

    • @97LifeMelody
      @97LifeMelody Před 4 lety

      I've been wondering the same thing. I also thought it is simply because it is a real time confirmation which needs no additional steps like a gel. I would like to know if there is more to this!

  • @saheraslam7133
    @saheraslam7133 Před 4 lety

    How many genes are there in COVID-19?

  • @reynaldodiaz2803
    @reynaldodiaz2803 Před 4 lety

    Nice video...Just one question...what's the exact genetic chain for the coronavirus? (A-G-C-U) excuse my english please...

    • @gribbler1695
      @gribbler1695 Před 4 lety

      www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/MN908947
      This and thousands of other genomes and their mutations (if any) are noted here: nextstrain.org/ncov

  • @adeelsafdar4444
    @adeelsafdar4444 Před 4 lety

    Hi Alex - I would love to hear your insight into the potential of SARS-CoV-2 virus to further mutate as it spreads? Also, what is your take about Moderna mRNA vaccination for this COVID-19? How can mRNA of the virus be used to make its vaccination? Would it make more sense to make antibody against its ligands? Hope you and family are well. Be safe and thank you for all the information you share :)

  • @GatesOlive
    @GatesOlive Před 4 lety

    Can I post another question besides this one? It goes like this: what is the meaning that the virus found in Brazil has 16 mutations that differentiates it from the one in Wuhan? I imagine that the proteins it synthesise after infecting the host cell are different, and how different depend on the mutation itself, but how significant can this be?

  • @MonuKumar-yg7gq
    @MonuKumar-yg7gq Před 4 lety

    I'm a Bsc student and after hearing about this virus from everyone around me I have a curiosity to know about this virus. So can you please explain me the structure of this virus and the mechanism about how it works. 🤓

  • @mrwolfbioedu
    @mrwolfbioedu Před 4 lety

    Thanks Alex!

  • @JotoCraft
    @JotoCraft Před 4 lety +1

    I'm not sure, if all of those questions are in your subject, but that's something that interests me.
    Is the difference between RNA and DNA viruses also reflected in the size of a virus?
    Are there differences in mutation-rates between DNA and RNA viruses?
    How much does a virus need to mutat, so that the immunity is no longer given?
    How different is SARS-CoV-2 from the SARS virus a few years ago?
    @all: stay home, stay healthy, stay in contact using Skype, Discord and other media. Humans are social and we need to be in touch with others. Since we can't physically right now, do so at least virtually.

    • @JotoCraft
      @JotoCraft Před 4 lety

      How do those tests work?
      Maybe why are they only detecting the virus, after the patient has symptoms?

    • @JotoCraft
      @JotoCraft Před 4 lety

      Another question that crossed my mind: who do we test on immunity?
      If 4/5 don't get symptoms, that are bad enough, that they are reported, then when do we see if most people had the virus already?

  • @adriftinsleepwakefulness7039

    Thanks for the video. Everybody makes the same videos which after a while is not informative. Can you explain, which cells are targeted by the virus? What are mutation models , is it posibble to model it for sars-cov-2? Probibilities of getting correct mutations for the virus? What are the preserved or conserved part of the virus, how can you find them in NCBI? 30000 bases, what do we know? What are the main similarities with sars? How was the vaccine for sars was made? Can you explain the path ways? Inhibitors that could be helpful?

  • @quintonmitchell2853
    @quintonmitchell2853 Před 4 lety

    What happens when you merge C22'H22'Br'N2O3'S with C33'H25'F6'N3'O3. I'm not scientist but I'm curious what happens when you merge these... Hm, sorry, stoichiometry is horrible for me. Haven't done it since 9th grade in high school. Also have you heard of Viperin enzyme

  • @ms.dvinelyblessed
    @ms.dvinelyblessed Před 3 lety

    For those Melinated don’t need to get it at all.

  • @tommydahill437
    @tommydahill437 Před 4 lety

    How likely is it to mutate? Particularly to a less-harmful variant (or...gasp...one that is more so?)

    • @gribbler1695
      @gribbler1695 Před 4 lety

      It is mutating at the normal rate for RNA viruses. Mutations are most likely to be neutral or detrimental to virus function.

  • @josenpai8266
    @josenpai8266 Před 4 lety

    Well I'd like to know how can we stop the virus replication although the vaccines contains pathogeneic microbes to fight it but is there a way to engineer the virus and shut it off.
    I'm a biotechnology student and I'd really love to hear your thoughts.
    Hope U see my comment 💙💙

  • @toolhog10
    @toolhog10 Před 4 lety

    Is it possible to engineer this sort of thing in lab artificially for whatever reason?

    • @gribbler1695
      @gribbler1695 Před 4 lety

      This virus was not engineered. 'The proximal origin of SARS-CoV-2' www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-0820-9
      'Our analyses clearly show that SARS-CoV-2 is not a laboratory construct or a purposefully manipulated virus.'

  • @DanielCarlos-uw7wf
    @DanielCarlos-uw7wf Před 4 lety

    Thanks for you important information! #everybodystayathome

  • @rayne5368
    @rayne5368 Před 2 lety

    Is it possible covid 19 is not of earth origins?

  • @joec0914
    @joec0914 Před 4 lety +1

    I think you meant 12pm PDT not PST. And thank you for including the UTC time which we should all be using anyway!! I will try to be there and ask if there is any evidence that some people are genetically predisposed to be less affected by the coronavirus.

    • @AlexDainisPhD
      @AlexDainisPhD  Před 4 lety

      Yes I definitely did mean PDT! Drat these confusing time changes! And that's a great question that I will absolutely look into!

    • @joec0914
      @joec0914 Před 4 lety

      @@AlexDainisPhD After I commented I read an article speculating that people with type A blood could be more susceptible. Hope not.

    • @AlexDainisPhD
      @AlexDainisPhD  Před 4 lety

      @@joec0914 I have not seen anything talking about blood types, but I will look into this.

  • @JarrodCoombes
    @JarrodCoombes Před 4 lety

    The one thing I have been wondering, and it may not be in your field, is why this virus does not seem to kill kids, like at all. I mean is it more than just them being more resilient than adults/the elderly?

  • @comprehensiblehorrors
    @comprehensiblehorrors Před 4 lety +1

    Stay safe and see y'all at the livestream!

  • @claytonspeed
    @claytonspeed Před 4 lety +3

    I’d love to hear more about what genetics and phylogeny can tell us where this virus came from. Bats?

  • @user-df7ef9gz6d
    @user-df7ef9gz6d Před 4 lety

    Thanku❤

  • @PurnamadaPurnamidam
    @PurnamadaPurnamidam Před 4 lety +1

    You are so sweet... 😘 Take Care and Stay Safe.

  • @designerproductions
    @designerproductions Před 4 lety

    OOo this is cool!

  • @j.h.7148
    @j.h.7148 Před 4 lety

    Dispute over Italy Patient zero
    There is a discussion ongoing whether it was one of the early German patients (Webasto-company members) who brought the virus to Italy. US geneticists say so, but other experts are more sceptical. They say, the genetic variations of covid-19 found in Italy do not match with the so called Webasto-hypothesis. What do you think as an independet geneticist?

  • @jimjam4210
    @jimjam4210 Před 4 lety

    Yay, shout out to us truckers. Thanks from a trucker. We still out here btw.

  • @DecemberKey
    @DecemberKey Před 4 lety

    You're awesome !!

    • @AlexDainisPhD
      @AlexDainisPhD  Před 4 lety +1

    • @DecemberKey
      @DecemberKey Před 4 lety

      @@AlexDainisPhD You too! I'm quarantined in the house, but with roomies and boyfriend. Healthy and working from home. Life's not too bad

  • @Dan-Black
    @Dan-Black Před 4 lety

    I don't know if you have any information on the testing for a vaccine they're reportedly already doing on humans, but that could be of interest.
    Personally, I've wondered, if we do manage to stop the spread now… how likely is it to spread again next year or something? Are we hoping to stop it now and just have a vaccine deployed by the time it comes around again?
    But both those questions may be more for a virologist and not, as you said, about the genetics. So NBD if you don't want to address those. Sorry I don't have better genetic-specific questions.
    As for the last part of the video, yeah, I'm not worried about myself getting it -- I'm a very healthy, relatively young (mid 40s -- "young" enough for this situation) person. I _am_ concerned about getting it and then spreading it to others who are more at risk -- like my parents, who are in their 70s, and especially my father, who only has one lung left. Or for a friend's friends she mentioned in Seattle (lots of infected people already) who are highly at risk (lungs and immune deficiency) and have confirmed infected people in their apartment complex.

    • @AlexDainisPhD
      @AlexDainisPhD  Před 4 lety +1

      Yeah there are definitely some parts of this that I don't feel comfortable tackling, but I can hopefully find some great resources that are more knowledgable than I on things like spreading again next year!

    • @Dan-Black
      @Dan-Black Před 4 lety

      And I've got it on my calendar -- definitely hope to be there this Friday!

  • @nerosonic
    @nerosonic Před 4 lety

    i have coronahappiness. it makes me happier.

  • @AdrielSjahfiedin
    @AdrielSjahfiedin Před 4 lety

    Remdesvir and how it is supposed to help fight against the coronavirus. I work in a grocery store and I cannot hunker down in my house... It has been busy but the side effect of growing demand and no school is my ability to work more. Hopefully I do not get sick or have been sick because I interact with so many people in such a confined and personal space where transmissions are easiest.

  • @pankajdahiya5764
    @pankajdahiya5764 Před 4 lety

    Treatment ?

    • @AlexDainisPhD
      @AlexDainisPhD  Před 4 lety

      I will look into what scientists and doctors are trying and see if there are any points that I can try and help explain with genetics!

    • @xja85mac
      @xja85mac Před 4 lety

      I heard in the news that there is a trial in Italy for using an approved anti-inflammatory medicine that would relieve pneumonia symptoms.

  • @MikeDownes
    @MikeDownes Před 4 lety

    Sweet, I'll bring coffee..

  • @Octavius0606
    @Octavius0606 Před 4 lety

    Hey,
    I know this is gonna sound odd.
    But do you mean 1200h PST or 1200h PDT.
    I know you are currently in California, which currently observe Daylight saving time which would put you at 1200h PDT on your clocks which makes it 1900h UTC but 1200h PST would be 2000h UTC......
    Daylight saving is the worse, and ruins all.

    • @AlexDainisPhD
      @AlexDainisPhD  Před 4 lety

      Haha, yes, PDT. Why is that one of the most confusing parts of making this video?!

    • @Octavius0606
      @Octavius0606 Před 4 lety

      @@AlexDainisPhD Cause again Daylight saving is that worse and we should all just stick to standard all year around.
      But yeah I hope I didn't come off in a bad way. I love all your content for awhile now(not sure years) but time zones definitely get confusing.

    • @AlexDainisPhD
      @AlexDainisPhD  Před 4 lety +1

      @@Octavius0606 Haha, no not a bad way at all! I just wish I could keep these darn time zones straight!

  • @nbprotocol5406
    @nbprotocol5406 Před 4 lety

    She's a really cute genetisist.