In mid-December, the United Kingdom reported to the World Health Organization for the first time the emergence of a new highly infectious coronavirus mutant strain: the B.1.1.7 strain. According to an article in Science magazine, the transmission capacity of the mutant virus is about 70% higher than that of the original strain, while more than 60% of the recent Covid-19 infections in London were caused by its variant. The most important feature of this virus strain is that there have been mutations at more than a dozen key sites, especially on the S protein. The actual consequence is that it has a stronger transmission power. The structural change of the viral protein makes it easier for ACE2 receptor in our body to bind, which leads to the enhanced transmission ability.

Recently, Shanghai, Guangdong and other places have successively found B.1.1.7 mutant strains in throat swab samples from confirmed imported cases, which are highly similar to the genetic sequence of the mutant virus reported in the United Kingdom. The emergence of B.1.1.7 mutant strains has also attracted the great attention of Hybribio’s R&D team. In order to further understand the law of virus transmission and monitor variants, Hybribio’s R&D team conducted multiple rounds of experiments to verify and to test the effectiveness and sensitivity of the two Covid-19 nucleic acid detection kits developed independently by themselves on the detection of B.1.1.7 mutant strains.

At present, the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) nucleic acid detection kit (fluorescence PCR method), which independently developed by Hybribio, uses ORF1ab gene and the specific conservative sequence of the encoding nucleocapsid protein N gene as target region for amplification detection. The sequence was confirmed by Hybribio’s medical laboratory in Hong Kong that the kit can effectively detect most of the mutant strains including the B.1.1.7 strain.

Hybribio 's novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) nucleic acid detection kit (Sanger sequencing method) was awarded national invention patent (Patent No. 202010460533) and was selected as an emergency research project by the Guangzhou Science and Technology Bureau. The testing kit can detect specific regions covering ORF1a, ORF1ab and 4 structural proteins: S, M, E, and N genes. With the focus of mutant strains, it also adds detections of 17 specific positions of 4 genes including ORF1ab, spike, Orf8, and N. It can not only detect mutant strains, but also differentially diagnose the new mutant strain B.1.1.7 as well as non-mutant strains.

Scientific and effective prevention and control, detection and treatment programs are important measures to combat the Covid-19 epidemic. With two novel coronavirus detection kits, matched with nucleic acid extraction kit, sample preservation solution and fully automatic nucleic acid extraction equipment, Hybribio has created an "overall solution to Covid-19 testing", which helps rapidly detect large-scale samples domestically and overseas, making the detection of novel coronavirus more accurate, faster and safer.

This time, in the face of the emergence of novel coronavirus mutant strains, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention appealed to the general public not to panic, please strictly implement existing prevention and control measures and strengthen personal protection awareness. Regular screening of high-risk groups, early diagnosis, early treatment, early isolation of the infected and close contacts, wearing masks, washing hands frequently, and maintaining social distancing are all effective measures to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus in China!