The method should allow researchers to deactivate individual genes of the Covid-19 virus and to study the effects. This should enable scientists to identify the genes needed to replicate the virus and which would be a promising target for drugs, Volker Thiel of the university virology and immunology laboratory told Swiss public television, SRF, on Monday evening.
Thiel added that the team were receiving numerous requests for virus clones.
His team had received samples of the first people infected by the new coronavirus in Germany in early February. The samples are currently being analysed at a laboratory in Mittelhäusern, canton Bern, one of the few facilities in the world able to carry out such research.
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A Swiss lab made the first synthetic clone of SARS-CoV-2
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The first case of coronavirus in Switzerland was detected a week ago but the virus was in the country much before that, as a laboratory sample.
The work of another Swiss researcher, Nobel Prize winner Jacques Dubochet, is also closely tied to ongoing investigations into the virus, as revealed by the journal ScienceExternal link.
Up to now, “the main method for determining molecular structure has been X-ray diffraction. It takes an incredible amount of time, years,” the Vaudois explained on Monday evening to Swiss public television, RTS. With cryo-electron microscopy, however, “you just need the very pure protein… it goes into the thin layer and that’s enough”.
According to RTS, this method makes it possible to study biological samples by freezing them.
The new coronavirus broke out in Wuhan, China, late last year and has since infected more than 89,000 people, mostly in China. However, it now appears to be spreading much more rapidly outside China than within. The global death toll exceeded 3,000, with the virus spreading to more than 60 countries. Outside China, there are now more than 8,700 infected and over 125 deaths.
Scientists say much remains unknown about the virus, which can lead to pneumonia, and a vaccine could take up to 18 months to develop.
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Coronavirus cases are spreading in Switzerland
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Federal authorities are taking unprecedented measures to contain the virus.
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Switzerland's economy grew slightly at the start of 2024, with growth in the service sector contrasting with weak growth in industry.
Swiss employment rate rises in first quarter of 2023
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The number of women and foreign nationals in employment increased particularly strongly, the Federal Statistical Office said on Thursday.
Coercion still an issue in Swiss welfare system, report finds
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The rights of vulnerable people are still sometimes disregarded by the Swiss welfare system, a national research programme has found.
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Viola Amherd has expressed her “deep shock” at the assassination attempt on Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico on Wednesday.
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A man injured half a dozen people with knives, two of them seriously, before being arrested on Wednesday in northern Switzerland.
Switzerland to introduce flight passenger database
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Switzerland plans to introduce a flight passenger database to collect and process personal data in a bid to combat terrorism and serious crime.
Government plans to invest over CHF16bn in Swiss rail network
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The federal government intends to invest CHF16.4 billion ($18.1 billion) in railway infrastructure between 2025 and 2028, CHF2 billion more than for the current period.
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Swiss foundation launches ‘emergency call’ for coronavirus research
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The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) announced on Wednesday that it is allocating several million Swiss francs to research on coronaviruses.
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Ten laboratories in Switzerland can now carry out coronavirus tests, Health Minister Alain Berset announced on Wednesday.
Coronavirus: Head-shaking doctors and non-hand-shaking workers
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A day after the first confirmed Swiss case of coronavirus, some doctors have accused the government of “irresponsibly” underestimating the danger.
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