Good Day BIO: What you need to know about Omicron

We take a few days off—and there’s a new coronavirus variant. We tell you why you don’t need to panic and what the vaccine manufacturers are doing to address it, plus why synthetic DNA is driving the next phase of the genomics revolution. (730 words, 3 minutes, 39 seconds)

What you need to know about Omicron

The new coronavirus variant Omicron (B.1.1.529) has been identified on several continents, causing a spike in cases, renewed travel restrictions, and even the indefinite postponement of the World Trade Organization’s ministerial. Here’s what you should know—and what it means for the vaccines.

What makes Omicron different? “26 unique spike mutations, compared with 10 in Delta and six in Beta. Many of them seem likely to render the variant more difficult for the immune system to recognize and thwart,” explains The New York Times. 

But there’s no need to panic. The variant can be detected by a PCR test, and we caught it “incredibly early,” explains University of Texas epidemiologist Dr. Katelyn Jetelina.

What if we need a new vaccine? “Thanks to the new biotechnology, mNRA vaccines are really easy to alter,” continues Dr. Jetelina. “Once the minor change is made, only 2 dozen people need to enroll in a trial to make sure the updated vaccine works. Then it can be distributed to arms. Because the change is small, an updated vaccine doesn’t need Phase III trials and/or regularity approval. So, this whole process should take a max of 6 weeks.”

Vaccine manufacturers are on it. Pfizer-BioNTech “can adapt the current vaccine within six weeks and ship initial batches within 100 days,” per a spokesperson, while Moderna should know about the current vaccine’s level of protection in a couple weeks and could have a reformulated shot early next year. Johnson & Johnson’s running tests, too. 

What should you do? “None of this variant stuff changes what you need to do on an individual-level right now. Unless, of course, if you weren’t doing anything at all,” says Dr. Jetelina. “Get vaccinated. Get boosted. Ventilate spaces. Use masks. Test if you have symptoms. Isolate if positive. And encourage others to do the same.” 

Visit www.COVIDVaccineFacts.org to get answers to your questions about the COVID-19 vaccines.

The next phase of the ‘genomics revolution’: writing DNA

“Biotech has arrived at a singular new moment—one in which software, hardware, data science, and lab science are all finally mature enough to work together and reinforce one another,” says The New York Times in a must-read long-read over the weekend. And that’s made possible by synthetic DNA.

“If the first phase of the genomics revolution focused on reading genes through gene sequencing, the second phase is about writing genes,”says The New York Times. 

Explain, please. “It is now possible to take our understanding of molecular biology—how DNA specifies the sequence of RNA, which in turn specifies the production of proteins—and use CRISPR and DNA synthesis to devise genetic recipes that produce the outputs we want.” 

You’ve probably already gotten one of these “outputs.” Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna were able to make their vaccines so quickly by synthesizing the DNA sequence of the virus.

“Now companies and scientists look toward a post-COVID future when gene synthesis will be deployed to tackle a variety of other problems,” from future pandemics and antibiotic resistance to climate change with “food flavorings, fake meat, next-gen fertilizers,” and industrial products. 

Biotech companies are at the forefront of this revolution—like Twist Bioscience, the BIO member making “the process of making synthetic genes more scalable and cost-effective” by writing DNA on a silicon chip. 

And they’re making the process faster:Gingko Bioworks (another BIO member) “has brought an assembly line’s efficiency to the lab, utilizing machines that can pipette, mix, and assay with far more precision than any human ever could, therefore making it possible to run thousands of different experiments at the same time.”

What they’re saying: “So far, we’re just taking what nature has already invented, copying it, maybe optimizing it,” Tom Keating, a chemist working on Gingko’s antibiotics project, told The New York Times. “I think what we’re just scratching the surface of is, can we program biology to do what chemists have traditionally done.” 

Listen: Twist Bioscience's Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Aaron Sato talks about the company's groundbreaking work in synthetic DNA during the COVID pandemic in this episode of the I am BIO Podcast.

In 2020, Dr. Jason Kelly, CEO and Co-Founder of Gingko Bioworks, joined the I am BIO Podcast to explain why synbio changes everything—listen via Apple, Google, or Spotify.

President Biden’s Monday: Meeting with the White House COVID-19 Response Team, then briefing the nation on the Omicron variant at 11:45 AM ET. This afternoon, he’ll meet with CEOs to discuss supply chains and the holiday shopping season then give remarks at 3:45 PM ET. 

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: The Senate meets today to resume consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).