Labs rush to study coronavirus in transgenic animals — some are in short supply

Labs rush to study coronavirus in transgenic animals — some are in short supply

Rhesus macaques are one animal model for the new coronavirus. (Neil Bowman/Flpa/imageBROKER/Shutterstock)

Labs rush to study virus in transgenic animals

• Researchers want to study the coronavirus in transgenic animals to reveal how infections develop and to aid efforts to create drugs and vaccines. The first results are emerging: teams in China have reported initial findings after infecting monkeys and mice that express a human gene that the coronavirus uses to infect cells. Some animal models are in short supply: a mouse-breeding laboratory says it has been overwhelmed with requests for a transgenic mouse that was developed in response to the 2002–03 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). (Nature | 6 min read)
• Near-real-time analysis of viral genomes gives insight into how COVID-19 is hopping between countries and spreading in communities — but scientists are urging caution in how results are interpreted. Gene sequences represent only a tiny fraction of cases, and the mutations that differentiate strains are still very minor. “As the outbreak unfolds, we expect to see more and more diversity and more clearly distinct lineages,” says computational biologist Richard Neher. “And then it will become easier and easier to actually put things together.” (Science | 8 min read)
• Panic-buying of protective N95 respirators is putting at risk the very research that aims to stop deadly pathogens. To adapt, some high-level biosafety labs are switching to reusable air-purifying hoods — but these are far more expensive. “We can be creative,” says infectious-disease researcher Joan Nichols. “But at the end of the day, we cannot do this work unless we’re protected properly.” (Undark | 8 min read)

Read the latest coronavirus news, continuously updated on Nature.