CDC launches viral genomics consortium to strengthen national efforts to map SARS-CoV-2

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently launched a national viral genomics consortium to better map the genome of SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind the COVID-19 pandemic.

The SARS-CoV-2 Sequencing for Public Health Emergency Response, Epidemiology and Surveillance (SPHERES) consortium seeks to expand the use of whole genome sequencing (WGS) on the virus, through a network of labs working on getting data into the public domain. That data could benefit public health response teams investigating cases of COVID-19 across the United States, be it through a greater understanding of viral spread, or by helping public health officials monitor changes in the virus itself to better guide contact tracing, mitigation efforts or preventing further infection.

“The U.S. is the world’s leader in advanced rapid genome sequencing,” CDC Director Robert Redfield said. “This coordinated effort across our public, private, clinical, and academic public health laboratories will play a vital role in understanding the transmission, evolution, and treatment of SARS-CoV-2. I am confident that our finest, most skilled minds are working together to help us save lives today and tomorrow.”

Data from partners, which include federal agencies and labs, state and local public health labs, universities, and companies, will be put into public sequence repositories like the National Library of Medicine’s National Center for Biotechnology Information.

At the federal level, this includes the CDC’s Office of Advanced Molecular Detections, Argonne National Lab, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Office of Genomics and Advanced Technology, National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Library of Medicine’s National Center for Biotechnology Information and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. From state and local labs, help is being sought from coast to coast, from California to Michigan and on to New York. That pattern can be seen on the academic front as well, which includes institutions like the University of Washington, Yale University and the University of Chicago.

More than a dozen corporations are also involved, including Abbott Diagnostics, IDbyDNA, LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics, among others.