Scientists from four BRICS countries (India, China, Russia, and Brazil) will study epidemiology and mathematical modelling of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as genetic sequencing of SARS-CoV-2.
According to official sources in the Indian Ministry of Science and Technology, the entire procedure will aid in tracing genetic alterations, recombination, and dispersion of the virus, as well as making projections about its future.
With this in mind, a research strategy was devised that incorporated the skills of scientists and engineers from many backgrounds.
Different arms of this BRICS-Multilateral Research and Development Project will be carried out by a team consisting of Prof. Dr. Ch Sasikala from India, Prof. Yuhua Xin from China, Senor Researcher from Russia Ivan Sobolev, and Dr Marilda Mendonça Siqueira from Brazil.
According to sources, India and Brazil will examine the distribution of SARS-CoV-2 in environmental samples using metagenome analysis for wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) surveillance as part of this project funded by the Department of Science and Technology.
Real-time PCR detection of SARS-CoV-2 in biological material (nasopharyngeal swabs) from patients with respiratory disease symptoms will be carried out by Chinese and Russian experts, who will also explore genomic diversity, comparative genomics, and phylogenetic analyses.
The collaborative research plan was created with the help of international collaborators from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Microbiology, Russia’s Federal Research Centre for Fundamental and Translational Medicine, and Brazil’s Oswaldo Cruz Institute’s Respiratory Virus and Measles Laboratory.
According to reports, the study would give a unified platform for sharing and analyzing data from four different nations in order to better understand virus propagation routes and transmission patterns.
