Researchers are studying frozen bat tissue samples stored at Canada's Royal Ontario Museum to potentially stop the next coronavirus pandemic.
By identifying each type of coronavirus found in bats, researchers will develop vaccines that could be ready for the next pandemic. The past two decades have seen three coronavirus epidemics in humans: SARS in 2003, MERS in 2012, and now COVID19. All the viruses appear to be related to viruses found in bats. Given that humans are increasingly encroaching on wildlife habitats, there are more opportunities for animal-to-human virus transmission.
The study is prepare for such eventualities by developing vaccines for diverse coronaviruses present in nature, particularly focusing on those found in bats. The Royal Ontario Museum has thousands of frozen bat tissue collections from 30 countries.
Researchers will study the genetic code of these frozen tissue samples to identify potential coronaviruses, isolate their genes, and create vaccines.
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