Month: January 2021
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We’re on the hunt for COVID-19 genomes to end the pandemic
Over time, mutations add up to become a trail of breadcrumbs showing where a virus has been and where it is headed. The breadcrumb trail reveals itself when we sequence a virus sample’s genome, and then use a powerful digital microscope called a genome browser to help with analysis.
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COVID-19 Mutations and You
On January 19, 2021, Santa Cruz Works hosted a webinar about the new COVID-19 variants. Our co-hosts were UCSC Genomics Institute, UCSC Baskin School of Engineering, Santa Cruz County Public Health, and Salud Para La Gente.
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An Extra-Contagious Coronavirus Variant Is In The US — But No One Knows How Widespread It Is
“Our healthcare infrastructure is already at a breaking point,” one expert said. “The introduction of a more transmissible strain might be enough to tip us over.” Stephanie M. Lee | BuzzFeed News | January 8, 2021 A new, highly contagious version of the coronavirus has arrived in the United States, but scientists have no way…
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UCSC expands COVID-19 testing during surge to support community needs
A gift from Bud and Rebecca Colligan will expand testing capacity and help fund a new, dedicated laboratory space to house the diagnostic lab in the Genomics Institute’s facilities at the Westside Research Park December 15, 2020 | Tim Stephens | UCSC With COVID-19 cases surging in Santa Cruz County, the UCSC Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory has seen…
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Transcript of David Haussler’s remarks made on October 14, 2020 as part of a panel presentation made to the National Academies
The following is an edited transcript of Scientific Director David Haussler’s remarks during a panel discussion on October 14, 2020 as part of a National Academies workshop titled, “Data in Motion: New Approaches to Advancing Scientific, Engineering and Medical Progress.” The panel discussion moderated by Stuart Feldman (Schmidt Futures) was titled “The Need for Fast…
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We stand for democracy
If the day’s events began as a “march,” they ended as something altogether different—anarchy that challenges the terminology of history. Photograph by Eric Lee / Bloomberg / Getty The UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute condemns the violence at the nation’s capital last week. We acknowledge the harm these acts of violence have brought on…
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Could new COVID variants undermine vaccines? Labs scramble to find out
Researchers race to determine why variants identified in Britain and South Africa spread so quickly and whether they’ll compromise vaccines
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Interview with Mark Akeson, COVID-19 Mutations and You
Doug Erickson | Santa Cruz Works | January 6, 2021 We asked Mark Akeson to give us some insights prior this event. Mark Akeson is a Professor of Biomolecular Engineering and a member of the Genomics Institute at UC Santa Cruz. He is a co-inventor of nanopore sequencing which is used worldwide for SARS-CoV-2 genome…
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The hunt for COVID-19 genomes that could worsen the pandemic
Lisa Krieger | Bay Area News Group | January 3, 2021 The highly contagious new strain of COVID-19 that’s spreading throughout the United Kingdom may now be coursing through the U.S. The challenge is finding it. Unlike the UK, America has not yet fully harnessed the power of genomics to quickly detect important changes in…
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The Computational Genomics Platform (CGP) Provides Global Access to Genomic Data and Tools
In 2017, Benedict Paten and collaborators proposed the “Data Biosphere” as a means to substantially accelerate genomics and biomedical research by building cloud platforms where components are modular, open and based on community standards (such as those developed by the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH)). Each platform contains portals for secure access to…