In 2020, HudsonAlpha was awarded a grant through Alabama’s Coronavirus Relief Fund to perform genomic sequencing on positive SARS-CoV-2 samples from people across the state of Alabama. The project, led by Faculty Investigator Jane Grimwood, PhD, is aimed at SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in the State of Alabama and identifying and monitoring different global variants of SARS-CoV-2 that are present in positive viral samples in the state.

The sequencing can help identify possible sources of new hotspots of infection in Alabama. This additional knowledge about the viral genome is important to understand possible emerging variants which could have implications for vaccine development and vaccine efficiency. As of May 2021, the team has sequenced and uploaded over 1700 samples from nearly every county in Alabama to national and global databases. This data is important to add an Alabama perspective to national and global COVID-19 initiatives. To date, the research has shown that global variants have been identified in Alabama including B.1.1.7 (originated in the UK), B.1.427 (originated in California)  and P.2 (originated in Brazil).

Thanks to the generosity of your donations and support from grants, HudsonAlpha continues to combat COVID-19 with research. If you would like to donate to COVID-19 efforts, click here.