Researchers releases first microscopic image of variant of concern - Omicron
Prof Malik Peiris and Prof John Nicholls are the names of the scientists who have made this discovery by using an electron microscope.
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New Delhi, December 08: In a major discovery, researchers from the University of Hong Kong have unveiled the first microscopic image of the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus that has triggered fears of another COVID-19 wave in the world.
Prof Malik Peiris and Prof John Nicholls are the names of the scientists who have made this discovery by using an electron microscope.
The team of medical scientists, including pathologists and virologists, were able to take an electron micrograph of a monkey kidney cell (Vero E6) after it was infected with the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2. Both high- and low-resolution Omicron images were released. This new variant was first detected in specimens collected on November 11, 2021, in Botswana and on November 14, 2021, in South Africa.
At low magnification, the image shows that the damage was done to cells with swollen vesicles containing small black viral particles, the researchers explained. Additionally, the high magnification revealed aggregates of the viral particles with corona-shaped spikes on the surface.
Sputnik has stated that the researchers at the Department of Microbiology at the University of Hong Kong managed to isolate Omicron from clinical samples, which will allow the development and production of vaccines against the new strain, which has more mutations than any other known variant.
While the World Health Organisation (WHO) designated B.1.1.529, or Omicron, as a ‘variant of concern’. WHO said the Omicron variant possesses multiple spike protein gene mutations, and the spike protein gene targets may not be detected if the testing institution uses a particular and single polymerase chain reaction-based nucleic acid (PCR) testing kit that gives quick results. More than 40 nations have already detected the Omicron variant.
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