A COVID-19 patient sits in a car and breathes with the help of oxygen in New Delhi, India. AP
A COVID-19 patient sits in a car and breathes with the help of oxygen in New Delhi, India. AP
A COVID-19 patient sits in a car and breathes with the help of oxygen in New Delhi, India. AP
A COVID-19 patient sits in a car and breathes with the help of oxygen in New Delhi, India. AP

Coronavirus: researchers identify 'hot spots' on virus where mutations likely to occur


Daniel Bardsley
  • English
  • Arabic

Abu Dhabi researchers have developed a way of modelling hundreds of coronavirus mutations in just a few days. The method means they can quickly see whether particular changes help the virus become more infectious or evade antibodies.

The scientists say their computer-based technique could be used to help develop vaccines in response to new variants.

“Our method can be used as a real-time surveillance tool to screen for emerging infectious Covid-19 variants,” Prof Kristin Gunsalus, faculty director of bioinformatics at NYU Abu Dhabi.

An advantage of computer-based modelling is that a hundred mutations can be readily assessed in a few days

“It allows for a more timely response to emerging outbreaks and could be used to guide the development of new vaccines.”

The coronavirus enters human cells by binding its spike protein to a human cell's ACE2 receptor. The easier a virus can bind to this receptor the more infectious it is.

Most current coronavirus vaccines cause the body to produce harmless versions of these spike proteins. Then, when the real things comes along, the immune response is to attack it like any other known invader.

Coronavirus particles with mutations in the spike protein may be able to evade the body’s defences – including those from vaccination – because the immune system does not yet defend itself against the new kind of spike protein.

Depiction showing the coronavirus binding to the ACE2 receptor of human cells. Courtesy NYU Abu Dhabi
Depiction showing the coronavirus binding to the ACE2 receptor of human cells. Courtesy NYU Abu Dhabi

The researchers say as many as 5,000 variants could be created by changes to the spike protein alone, which makes assessing them a daunting task.

“Screening such a large set of variants poses a tremendous challenge for conventional experimental methods,” said Hin Hark Gan, a senior research scientist NYU’s Centre for Genomics and Systems Biology in New York and the study’s first author.

“An advantage of computer-based modelling is that a hundred mutations can be readily assessed in a few days.”

The researchers looked at 1,003 combinations of mutations affecting the region where the spike protein binds to the ACE2 receptor.

Results suggest that spike protein mutations are more likely to occur in two particular “hotspots” because these regions are flexible and can change shape.

Modelling single, double and triple mutations has shown that the variants first detected in Brazil, South Africa, the UK and the US could bind more easily to ACE2. This means these variants are more contagious than the original strain.

However, this is not the case with the variant first detected in India. Contrary to popular belief it is not thought to bind more strongly to ACE2, meaning it is not more contagious. But two of its mutations do help it to evade antibodies.

This would make vaccines, and antibodies from a previous infection, less effective in fighting that particular strain.

“Due to viral mutations, the efficacy of existing antibodies and vaccines may diminish,” said Mr Gan. “This scenario is a likely cause for the rapid spread of the variant in India.”

The other authors of the study were Benoit Marchand, of NYU Abu Dhabi’s high performance computing group, and Alan Twaddle, of NYU in New York.

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

MATCH INFO

Juventus 1 (Dybala 45')

Lazio 3 (Alberto 16', Lulic 73', Cataldi 90 4')

Red card: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)

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ENGLAND SQUAD

Joe Root (captain), Dom Sibley, Rory Burns, Dan Lawrence, Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Ben Foakes (wicketkeeper), Moeen Ali, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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The biog

Name: Samar Frost

Born: Abu Dhabi

Hobbies: Singing, music and socialising with friends

Favourite singer: Adele

How to become a Boglehead

Bogleheads follow simple investing philosophies to build their wealth and live better lives. Just follow these steps.

•   Spend less than you earn and save the rest. You can do this by earning more, or being frugal. Better still, do both.

•   Invest early, invest often. It takes time to grow your wealth on the stock market. The sooner you begin, the better.

•   Choose the right level of risk. Don't gamble by investing in get-rich-quick schemes or high-risk plays. Don't play it too safe, either, by leaving long-term savings in cash.

•   Diversify. Do not keep all your eggs in one basket. Spread your money between different companies, sectors, markets and asset classes such as bonds and property.

•   Keep charges low. The biggest drag on investment performance is all the charges you pay to advisers and active fund managers.

•   Keep it simple. Complexity is your enemy. You can build a balanced, diversified portfolio with just a handful of ETFs.

•   Forget timing the market. Nobody knows where share prices will go next, so don't try to second-guess them.

•   Stick with it. Do not sell up in a market crash. Use the opportunity to invest more at the lower price.

What is tokenisation?

Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets. 

Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder

Started: October 2021

Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Industry: technology, logistics

Investors: A15 and self-funded 

 


 

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
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  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

Closing the loophole on sugary drinks

As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.

The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.

Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.

Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
 

Not taxed:

Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'The Ice Road'

Director: Jonathan Hensleigh
Stars: Liam Neeson, Amber Midthunder, Laurence Fishburne

2/5

Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

Other ways to buy used products in the UAE

UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.

Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.

Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.

For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.

Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.

At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.

The specs: Fenyr SuperSport

Price, base: Dh5.1 million

Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six

Transmission: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 800hp @ 7,100pm

Torque: 980Nm @ 4,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 13.5L / 100km

The results of the first round are as follows:

Qais Saied (Independent): 18.4 per cent

Nabil Karoui (Qalb Tounes): 15.58 per cent

Abdelfattah Mourou (Ennahdha party): 12.88 per cent

Abdelkarim Zbidi (two-time defence minister backed by Nidaa Tounes party): 10.7 per cent

Youssef Chahed (former prime minister, leader of Long Live Tunisia): 7.3 per cent

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Baby Driver

Director: Edgar Wright

Starring: Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Lily James

Three and a half stars

RESULT

Leeds United 1 Manchester City 1
Leeds:
 Rodrigo (59')
Man City: Sterling (17')

Man of the Match: Rodrigo Moreno (Leeds)

Mane points for safe home colouring
  • Natural and grey hair takes colour differently than chemically treated hair
  • Taking hair from a dark to a light colour should involve a slow transition through warmer stages of colour
  • When choosing a colour (especially a lighter tone), allow for a natural lift of warmth
  • Most modern hair colours are technique-based, in that they require a confident hand and taught skills
  • If you decide to be brave and go for it, seek professional advice and use a semi-permanent colour
The Brutalist

Director: Brady Corbet

Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn

Rating: 3.5/5

MATCH INFO

Real Madrid 3 (Kroos 4', Ramos 30', Marcelo 37')

Eibar 1 (Bigas 60')

'Morbius'

Director: Daniel Espinosa 

Stars: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona

Rating: 2/5

The%20specs
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The specs

Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel

Power: 579hp

Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh825,900

On sale: Now