Research into the genetic diversity of the SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus in Portugal

The spread of the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) in Portugal is being monitored by the National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge, IP (INSA), through the analysis of the genome of this virus. To date, the data collected has allowed the analysis of 1550 SARS-CoV-2 genomes obtained from positive samples of the virus collected or received by INSA. This study is part of one of the 121 projects supported by FCT under the special support program Research 4 COVID-19 , aimed at rapid implementation projects for innovative solutions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The study's main objectives are to identify mutational profiles of SARS-CoV-2, monitor transmission chains and identify new introductions of the virus in Portugal; predict the onset of community transmission and assess the impact of containment measures; determine possible associations between genetic (mutational) profiles of the virus and certain clinical manifestations (e.g. different degrees of severity of COVID-19); and improve knowledge of the genetic variability of this new virus on a global scale, which will lead to better development of prophylactic (vaccines) and therapeutic measures, and the data generated by the Ricardo Jorge Institute were immediately shared internationally, through the Nextstrain online platform and the GISAID repository.

Using next-generation sequencing technologies and bioinformatics analysis through the INSaFLU online platform, INSA is able to identify the complete genome sequence. These data allow the development of an interactive dashboard (see here ) that reflects an integrative analysis of the genetic diversity (phylogeny) and geotemporal dispersion of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Portugal, carried out using the tools of the Nextstrain project ( Hadfield et al. 2018, Bioinformatics ).

All information about the development of this study is available on the page dedicated to the project.