New faster-spreading COVID-19 variant effect current work

[wuffy68]

1. Does the new, "faster-spreading" COVID-19 VOC–202012/01 (COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7) variant found in the UK effect the current projects being researched on Folding@home? Will a new Demo-gorgon spike protein have to be modeled?
2. As a follow-up question, have any of the vaccine manufacturers cited the work done by Folding@home so far as a contributing component to their success?

https://www.gponline.com/faster-spreadi ... le/1702758

EDIT: Haven't we been here before in early 2020?
EDIT 2: Changing VUI - 202012/01 to VOC-202012/01 (Variant Under Investigation to Variant Of Concern)
EDIT 3: Adding reference to COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7

Edit: adding note to the conversation for COVID-19 variant B.1.617.2 Delta originally discovered in India

[Jonazz]

For question 2, as far as I know FAH has done no work on vaccines. They're mainly focused on finding druggable sites in the virus' proteins and and developing an antiviral (the COVID Moonshot project).

[MeeLee]

Not heard of any 'faster spreading COVID variant'.
If you look at the numbers, they're up, because of the holidays, or reopenings.
As far as I know, COVID has always been an extremely fast spreading virus!

[wuffy68]

Not heard of any 'faster spreading COVID variant'.
If you look at the numbers, they're up, because of the holidays, or reopenings.
As far as I know, COVID has always been an extremely fast spreading virus!

Related articles from earlier today mention the new variant has mutations in the spike protein that makes it more effective (faster) at infecting the host. There was mention of a second spike variant back in March or April - but no-one has discussed this much since. Wondering if this is yet a third variation, or just the second mutation making a come-back.

from a Guardian article today:

Prof Wendy Barclay, of Imperial College London, who is a member of the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (Sage), said: “This variant contains some mutations in spike protein that is the major target of vaccines, and it will be important to establish whether they impact vaccine efficacy by performing experiments in the coming weeks.”

[bruce]

The antiviral search (aka "Moonshot") is a cooperative effort. FAH's work uses the model of the spike which was generated outside of FAH. I don't know if the changes to that model, whenever they are incorporated, will alter past studies or if the'll have to be repeated. It's a excellent question.

FAH results are released into the public domain. They can be used by anyone with or without an attribution. (Of course we like it when we're mentioned.)

[JimF]

There have been a number of "new" variants, the latest from Britain and South Africa.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/19/worl ... riant.html
https://news.yahoo.com/south-africa-exp ... 21206.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-55379220

Although they are spreading faster, it is not clear whether that is because the virus is different. It may simply be that the lockdown measures reduced the transmission rate of the earlier versions, and when lockdown was lifted, this just happened to be the version that was lying in wait, so it popped up.

But needless to say, the health authorities are keeping a close watch on it. It could give us some more work to do.


EDIT: It looks like the British health experts think is a more infectious version.

Sir Patrick Vallance, the Government's chief scientific adviser, told The Telegraph the virus could have mutated into this new variant in the UK "by chance," adding: "It may have started here – we don't know for sure." He warned: "This virus has taken off, it is moving fast and it is leading inevitably to a sharp increase in hospital admissions.

"The big change is not the disease's progress, not the immunity but transmission. This virus spreads more easily, and therefore more measures are needed to keep it under control." From Sunday morning hairdressers, nail bars, indoor gyms and leisure facilities in Tier 4 areas all must close. People must work from home if they can, but may travel to work if this is not possible.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/20 ... old-south/

[wuffy68]

Latest update from CDC on the Implications of the Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Variant VOC 202012/01
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nc ... riant.html

The good news so far:

the ability to evade vaccine-induced immunity—would likely be the most concerning because once a large proportion of the population is vaccinated, there will be immune pressure that could favor and accelerate emergence of such variants by selecting for “escape mutants.” There is no evidence that this is occurring, and most experts believe escape mutants are unlikely to emerge because of the nature of the virus.

[psaam0001]

::: Making plans to spend my "stimulus money" (when the politicians in Washington D.C. get done arguing over how much it will be, and when the checks will be sent) on another 16-core F@H rig. :::

Until further notice: COVID's demise is on my [computer processing] schedule 24/7.

Paul

[bruce]

Nobody knows if the structural differences in the spike change it's susceptibility to attack by other substances. The research being done by moonshot has found promising vulnerabilities and will probably find more. Scientists are suggesting that they expect the vaccines to continue to work on the new variations but nobody really knows yet. The vaccine for influenza changes every season but still conveys a partial immunity to an evolved influenza virus.

This may or may not turn out to be similar, but we've still got to tame the pandemic. A lot depends on how the human immunity system works vs. how the virus evolves.

[JimF]

I am putting more resources into COVID that it probably really warrants based on the known characteristics thus far. But with 100 million + cases around the world, if something can go wrong it probably will. And I think we need to build up the arsenal for dealing with new viruses (coronavirus or otherwise) while we can.

In a couple of months when the caseload goes down due to the vaccines, I will relax a bit. I think.

[WTS]

This Pandemic won't stop until we get the vaccine and booster shots into enough people to stop transmission, and to stop the evolution of new variants. That means vaccinating a lot of people in a hurry, everywhere. We're not doing that, and it'll be sometime before we do.

[JimF]

We're not doing that, and it'll be sometime before we do.

Probably never. It is more likely to be a recurring vaccination.
I have heard it said (maybe correctly) that the 1918 flu is still with us, just in mutated form that we can get vaccinated for.

[MeeLee]

One thing we are going to expect seeing in the future,
More work done folding, and more investments done in companies like Pfizer-BioNtech and Moderna (and others), will likely result in much faster flu-shots for strong flu strains (like the H1N1 and Covid was).