Scientists from the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity – a joint venture between the University of Melbourne and the Royal Melbourne hospital – have successfully grown the Wuhan coronavirus from a patient sample, which will provide expert international laboratories with crucial information to help combat the virus.
Wuhan coronavirus in culture. Credit Dr Julian Druce VIDRL, The Doherty Institute.This is the first time the virus has been grown in cell culture outside of China.
The Royal Melbourne Hospital’s Dr Julian Druce, Virus Identification Laboratory Head at the Doherty Institute, said this was a significant breakthrough as it will allow accurate investigation and diagnosis of the virus globally.
“Chinese officials released the genome sequence of this novel coronavirus, which is helpful for diagnosis, however, having the real virus means we now have the ability to actually validate and verify all test methods, and compare their sensitivities and specificities - it will be a game changer for diagnosis,” Dr Druce said.
https://about.unimelb.edu.au/newsroom/news/2020/january/melbourne-scientists-first-to-grow-and-share-novel-coronavirusI congratulate Australian scientists for this courage and contribution to humanity. I hope they will develop a treatment. Of course, they also need to be protected from the fire around them.