Amid the rising fears of COVID-19 variant Omicron, a team of researchers from Bambino Gesu hospital in Rome, Italy has suceeded in publishing the first image of Omicron variant, which is dubbed as a 'variant of concern' by WHO.
The three-dimensional “image” shows that the number of mutations in Omicron is double the mutations in Delta variant of coronavirus. The team of researchers issued a statement about the first picture of the Omicron variant and said, “We can clearly see that the Omicron variant presents many more mutations than the Delta variant, concentrated above all in one area of the protein that interacts with human cells”.
“This does not automatically mean that these variations are more dangerous, just that the virus has further adapted to the human species by generating another variant.Other studies will tell us if this adaptation is neutral, less dangerous, or more dangerous,” the researchers said.
The researchers focused on the search for mutations in “the three-dimensional structure of the spike protein”, Claudia Alteri, professor of clinical microbiology at Milan State University and a researcher at Bambino Gesu, told news agency AFP.
The image was produced “from the study of the sequences of this new variant made available to the scientific community” coming mainly “from Botswana, South Africa and Hong Kong,” added Alteri.
“It will now be important to define through laboratory experiments whether the combination of these mutations can have an impact on transmission or on the effectiveness of vaccines, for example,” she added.
