Assessment of the biological impact of SARS-CoV-2 genetic variation using an authentic virus neutralisation assay with convalescent plasma, vaccinee sera and standard reagents

Coombes N, Bewley KR, LeDuff Y, Hurley M, Smith L, Weldon T, Osman K, Pullan S, Berry N, Hallis B, Charlton S, Hall Y, Funnell . (2023)

Virus, 15, 633

In the summer of 2020, UKHSA staff were alerted, through GISAID sequence analysis, to the rapidly changing genetic composition of SARS-CoV-2. This was highlighted by the rapid emergence of the D614G mutation at that time. In the autumn of 2020, discussions between UKHSA, WHO and CEPI resulted in the funding by CEPI leveraged ongoing partnerships and resulted in initiation of a project entitled Agility, which brought together UKHSA (then PHE), MHRA, GISAID and CEPI to assess new variants of SARS-CoV-2. This project was designed to reach out and intercept swabs containing live variant viruses in order to generate highly characterised master and working stocks and to assess the biological consequences of the rapid genetic changes using both in vitro and in vivo approaches. Since November 2020, UKHSA and MHRA have acquired and tested 21 variants and a pattern of continuous evolution of SARS-CoV-2 has been revealed. Sequential characterisation of the most globally significant variants available to us, generated in real-time, indicate the most recent Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5.2.1 appear to have evolved in a manner that avoids immunological recognition by convalescent plasma from the era of ancestral virus when analysed in a live virus neutralisation assay.

Virus, 15, 633

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