By Mohammad Al-Kanderi
KUWAIT, March 25 (KUNA) -- The State of Kuwait is a leader in the Gulf and Middle East in sequencing the genome of coronavirus, renamed by World Health Organization (WHO) as (SARS CoV-2), said a medical center Wednesday.
Dasman Diabetes Institute (DDI) has recently sequenced the genetic makeup of four samples of the coronavirus, known as SARS CoV-2, DDI's Director General Dr. Qais Al-Duwairi told KUNA.
The samples were taken from cases coming from abroad, rather than from Kuwait, Al-Duwairi remarked.
The virus has genetic mutation abilities, making it more serious than other viruses, he said, adding that the technique was conducted to have a greater understanding of the virus and reply to relevant scientific questions.
Information and data coming from all countries show that the virus has slight mutations, but strikingly studies carried out by Kuwaiti researchers proved that the strains of viruses in Kuwait are, to a large extent, similar to those found in the Chinese city of Wuhan and Germany, he remarked.
Researchers from the DDI and other several countries strongly believe that this variable virus strain in Europe is more fatal, the Kuwaiti doctor said.
Furthermore, the Institute plans to study the novel coronavirus, in collaboration with and with the effective backing of the Ministry of Health to fight this pandemic, he noted.
The DDI was established in 2006 mainly to combat the prevalence of diabetes in Kuwait through focused diabetes research, integrated prevention, training and education. (end) mak.tb.mt