B1525: The new Covid variant worries experts

Another variant of the coronavirus with a potentially disturbing group of mutations has been discovered in the UK for which experts have requested urgent study.

The variant, known as B1525, is the subject of a report by researchers at the University of Edinburgh, who say it was discovered through genome research in 10 countries including Denmark, the US and Australia, and 32 cases found in the UK so far. . The earliest sequences date back to December.

The team of researchers says the variant bears a genome similarity to Kent's variant, B117, and contains a number of mutations that researchers have been concerned about, including the E484K mutation in the "spike" protein - a protein found on the outside of the virus that plays a important role in helping the virus to enter cells.

This E484K mutation is present in variants that appeared in South Africa and Brazil and is thought to make the virus more capable of avoiding neutralizing antibodies produced by the body.

Dr. Simon Clarke, an associate professor of cell microbiology at the University of Reading, said while it is unclear what effect many of the mutations may have on the coronavirus ability to cause infection, or on the severity of the disease, the presence of the E484K mutation in the South African variant is known for its degree of vaccine resistance.

"We do not yet know how much this [new] variant will spread, but if it spreads rapidly we can assume that immunity from any previous vaccine or infection will be weakened," he said.

Source: Guardian