UF Health Researcher’s Analysis Finds New Pattern of Mutations in Omicron Variant
A University of Florida Health researcher has successfully analyzed the many mutations in the omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, a crucial step in better understanding the variant’s potential threat and ways to combat it.
Immunologist David A. Ostrov, Ph.D., was asked by a worldwide consortium of scientists to analyze and map the locations of omicron’s mutations. His analysis for the Global Virus Network found omicron has substantially more mutations than the delta variant at four key sites within the virus. At least one of those sites — which may affect omicron’s transmissibility — has more than three times as many mutations as the delta variant, Ostrov found.
Mapping omicron’s mutations help scientists around the world better understand its potential for immune system evasion, transmissibility, and mortality.
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