Despite fears, 3D printing has positive effects on global trade

Research from UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy finds the technology is a boon to trade, allowing participating countries to provide higher income and more opportunities to their people

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - SAN DIEGO

3D printing technology enables economies to produce goods locally, so conventional wisdom has been that it would dramatically reduce international trade; however, new University of California San Diego and World Bank research presents robust evidence that 3D printing expanded trade.

The paper coauthored by Caroline Freund, economist and dean of the School of Global Policy and Strategy, finds that 3D printing changed production processes, but supply chains remained intact. The study is the first to examine the impact 3D printing has on trade.

Published in the Journal of International Economics, the paper looks at the production of hearing aids—a good most commonly produced by 3D printing.

The results reveal that the shift to 3D printing led to a doubling or near doubling in producers’ exports after five years and the technology was the main cause for the rise in exports.

Freund and co-coauthors also examined 35 other products, such as running shoes, aircraft parts and prosthetic limbs that are increasingly being 3D printed and they found similar patterns.

“The technology is a boon, not a curse to trade,” Freund said. “A country’s exports of hearing aids increased more than trade in other similar goods following the adoption of 3D printing by manufacturers there. The new production technology in combination with trade means that consumers around the world suffering hearing loss are benefitting from better and often cheaper hearing aids.” 

One reason behind the expansion is that printing hearing aids in high volumes requires a large investment in technology and machinery. The countries that were early innovators—Denmark, Switzerland and Singapore—dominate exports of the good, while middle-income economies such as China, Mexico and Vietnam also have been able to substantially increase their market shares.

In addition, hearing aids are lightweight products, which makes them fairly cheap to ship internationally. The same is true for the other products the authors examined—lighter products are associated with more trade growth.

These results are based on comparisons of the growth of the 3D printed products to other similar goods. The authors also accounted for trends and other factors that could skew the data. 

“Policymakers often view 3D printing as a means to shorten supply chains when in fact it is more likely to enhance trade and reshape supply chains,” said Freund, former global director of Trade, Investment and Competitiveness at the World Bank.

While the analysis of 3D printing’s impact on trade is positive, it has the possibility of being short-lived. If 3D printers become more accessible to local producers or even consumers in some sectors, production could be more localized, hindering development opportunities through trade.

The study “Is 3D printing a threat to global trade? The trade effects you didn’t hear about” is coauthored by Alan Mulabdic, economist for the Equitable Growth, Finance and Institutions’ Chief Economist’s Office at the World Bank, and Michele Ruta, lead economist at the World Bank.

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JOURNAL

Journal of International Economics

DOI

10.1016/j.jinteco.2022.103646 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Is 3D printing a threat to global trade? The trade effects you didn't hear about

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

1-Sep-2022

NTU Singapore to launch centre for blockchain research, supported by Algorand Foundation’s US$50 million program

New masters and minors in blockchain technology launched

Business Announcement

NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: ACE@NTU DIRECTOR PROFESSOR WEN YONGGANG (LEFT) AND CO-DIRECTOR PROFESSOR BOH WAI FONG (RIGHT), WHO WILL SPEARHEAD RESEARCH AND EDUCATION IN BLOCKCHAIN AT NTU. THE CENTRE WILL PROMOTE AND ACCELERATE THE GROWTH OF A ALGORAND BLOCKCHAIN ECOSYSTEM IN THE REGION. view more 

CREDIT: NTU SINGAPORE

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has been selected by Algorand Foundation, the world’s most green and secure blockchain ecosystem, to host a new research and education centre aimed at developing and advancing blockchain technologies.

Known as the Algorand Centre of Excellence at NTU (ACE@NTU), NTU is one of 10 new Algorand Centres of Excellence (ACE) established earlier this month.

NTU is the only lead organisation in Asia to be selected for this US$50 million programme and joins other top universities such as UC Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon University, Yale University and Purdue University, to name a few.

Algorand was first established by Professor Silvio Micali from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2017. It is a fully decentralised, secure, and scalable blockchain that provides a common platform for building products and services for a borderless economy.

The aim of the ACE programme is to establish a global network of blockchain and cryptocurrency research and education centres that advances collaborative, multidisciplinary, and cutting-edge knowledge and technology.

Over the next five years, ACE@NTU aims to become the nexus for blockchain education and research as well as foster a vibrant ecosystem to advance blockchain development and adoption in Singapore and the region.

NTU Deputy President and Provost Prof Ling San said blockchain is a rapidly evolving field where NTU faculty have made research breakthroughs, and in which industry is very keen to collaborate and build up expertise.

“As a world-leading University with deep expertise in computer science and related fields, we now aim to groom a pool of talent in blockchain for Singapore. Through research, new programmes and upgrading courses, NTU will equip undergraduates, postgraduates and industry professionals with cutting-edge blockchain knowledge and know-how, in order to accelerate industry adoption of the technology,” Prof Ling said.

ACE@NTU will also develop real-world blockchain applications in collaboration with industry partners, which will have societal, sustainability and economic for Singapore and the region.

“We are thrilled to have NTU researchers and their collaborators elsewhere be part of the ACE programme”, underlines Hugo Krawczyk, Head of the ACE Programme. “They bring blockchain expertise and blockchain community outreach in Singapore and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) sphere. Their focus on interdisciplinary research, education and community reflect the very priorities of the ACE programme."

The research conducted at ACE@NTU will be interdisciplinary, ranging from engineering and computer science to economics and business, says NTU Senior Vice President (Research) Lam Khin Yong.

“As part of NTU 2025 strategic plan to develop new technologies that can solve some of humanity’s greatest challenges, a key focus for ACE@NTU will be to develop real-world applications based on blockchain in collaboration with industry partners, which will have societal, sustainability and economic impact for Singapore and the region,” adds Prof Lam. 

There are five initial blockchain research projects, of which one of them is SGVerse – a metaverse platform for smart grid technologies to be tested out across the world. Two other projects include blockchain implementation for enterprise use, and blockchain-powered machine learning for financial data management.

To facilitate exchange and cooperation among leading institutes and to promote the use of blockchain technology among key decision makers and the public, an International Blockchain Technical Alliance will also be set up by ACE@NTU.

NTU will also look to nurture new talents in the field through a new Master of Science in Blockchain postgraduate programme and a Minor in Blockchain for undergraduates.

These modules will educate students on Algorand-related technology and content, with hands-on experience on its blockchain platform, promoting awareness and adoption of Algorand technology in the ecosystem. 

Plans are also in the works to develop these modules into bite-sized courses that can be combined to achieve a FlexiMaster or micro-credentials, with Continuing Education & Training (CET) courses made online for learners all over the world.

The NTU Smart Campus will provide an ideal test-bed for the new solutions that result from the Centre’s education, research and innovation activities.

As an open-testbed, NTU will establish an “Innovation Sandbox” for blockchain, providing an environment where appropriate safeguards are in place and specific legal and regulatory requirements are relaxed for new blockchain technologies to be test-bedded and validated. This sandbox will then help to accelerate industry uptake and commercialisation of blockchain technologies.

Leading these efforts at ACE@NTU will be Director Professor Wen Yonggang, who is the Associate Dean (Research) at NTU’s College of Engineering, and Co-Director Professor Boh Wai Fong, the Deputy Dean at the Nanyang Business School.

“Through our new education programmes, we hope to provide a pool of workforce ready talent trained in blockchain for Singapore, while the research arm will provide a steady stream of blockchain innovations for real-world applications and serve to inspire greater interest in blockchain amongst the NTU community and general public,” said Prof Wen, who won the Digital Achiever Award at the Singapore Computer Society Tech Leader Awards 2022 earlier this year. 

“We hope to establish the ACE@NTU as the epicentre of pioneering blockchain research, knowledge creation and innovation, catalysing blockchain adoption for socio-economic impact for Singapore, ASEAN and beyond, to achieve the vision set out by the Algorand Foundation – to raise and nurture diverse, courageous generations of blockchain natives who can create, build and manage and innovate across all geographies.”

***END***

Preschoolers with larger vocabulary before they begin education, perform better in class – study shows

Peer-Reviewed Publication

TAYLOR & FRANCIS GROUP

Children who enter preschool with good vocabulary and attention skills do better in class, according to a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Early Education and Development.

The findings based on 900 four-year-olds from eight US states show how a child’s ability to engage with teachers and peers is affected by the range of words they know.

The results also show that young children are more likely to get involved with classroom tasks if they have learned how to suppress inappropriate behavior and block out distracting thoughts and feelings.   

“This study demonstrated that the levels of vocabulary skills and inhibitory control that children exhibit in the fall (autumn) of the preschool years matter for their classroom engagement in different ways,” says lead author Qingqing Yang from The Ohio State University, Columbus, US.

“Children with lower inhibitory control and vocabulary skills appear to be at risk of displaying different kinds of non-engaging behaviors.

“This suggests that teachers need to be able to recognize who may be susceptible to more negative engagement. They also need to facilitate classroom engagement for all children.

“Given the large amount of time that children spend in the classroom, these findings have implications for optimizing children’s vocabulary and inhibitory control development.”

Preschool is defined as the years of informal education before primary school. Studies have shown that a child’s vocabulary skills during this time are critical for later academic success 

Also key is inhibitory control which is the ability to override the natural human response to distractions or stimulus and instead focus on achieving goals or tasks.

For this study, a total of 895 preschool children – including 443 girls and 452 boys – were recruited from diverse race and ethnic backgrounds, across 223 classrooms in 10 locations. 

The researchers assessed them when they started preschool in the fall and then again the following spring.  

To calculate skill levels, the researchers used several measures including the pencil tap test. This was used to assess inhibitory control – the child was instructed to tap once when the assessor tapped twice and vice versa.

For vocabulary, children were asked to name objects in pictures; and assessors rated classroom engagement with teachers, peers and tasks by spending 4 hours approx. observing each child individually.

Positive classroom engagement included sociability, communication, and self-reliance with tasks; and negative included conflict with teachers and peers as well as off-task behaviors. 

Results showed that children with stronger vocabulary skills at the start of the preschool year displayed more positive engagement with both their teachers and peers.

In addition, those with better inhibitory control had more positive engagement with tasks and less negative interaction in the classroom.

Conversely, the study suggests that negative engagement in the classroom shapes vocabulary learning. It creates the link between weak inhibitory control among children in the fall and poor skills in vocabulary and inhibitory control in the spring.

The authors say their findings are an important step forward given that ‘a small change in children’s skills and experiences’ early on can ‘improve or impair’ their chance of academic success long-term.

Potential implications for policymakers to consider, the authors report, include a need for better teacher training in order for them to identify, earlier on, at-risk pupils who lack these skills and provide the right support.

This could help children who have lower levels of inhibitory control and weaker vocabulary to thrive better once they enter formal education.

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JOURNAL

Early Education and Development

DOI

10.1080/10409289.2022.2105625 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Survey

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Preschoolers’ vocabulary skills and inhibitory control: The role of classroom engagement

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

17-Aug-2022

Indigenous youth film project turns the lens on nutrition and food security

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA

A unique initiative is helping Indigenous people in India exchange knowledge about locally available foods to improve dietary diversity – part of the UN Sustainable Development Goal related to food security and nutrition.

The project, coordinated by the University of East Anglia (UEA), is raising the visibility of the Santhal community, enabling the most marginalized to voice their own perspectives using cameras and filmmaking skills.

With support from UEA through the Global Research Translation Award entitled ‘Meeting the SDGs’ and a local NGO partner (PRADAN), 10 Santhal youth were trained to make films about locally available foods and other issues of concern.

The nearly 50 films they produced were broadcast on a YouTube channel and screened in their local villages. The group also took part in interviews and discussions with viewers who attended the screenings.

Prof Nitya Rao, professor of gender and development in UEA’s School of International Development, is the lead author of ‘Cameras in the hands of Indigenous youth: Participation, films and nutrition in India’, published today in Current Developments in Nutrition.

Prof Rao said: “These young filmmakers are voicing a critical issue, whether endemic malnutrition or vast deforestation, as a call to policy-makers for remedial action.

“The role of self-expression, especially for Indigenous communities, is important given their historical marginalization. By enabling their participation in governance and the political space, transformative change alongside improved health and nutritional outcomes will be more achievable.

“The use of the YouTube channel as a digital ‘space’ created by the participants gave them an opportunity to set the agenda where they can speak without interruption about their everyday needs and the challenges they confront.”

The young filmmakers are from the Jamui district of Bihar, among the worst-off districts in India for meeting the SDGs.

While residing near forests, where they have access to highly nutritious foods, these communities are nevertheless more vulnerable to food and nutrition insecurity compared to their rural counterparts. Forty-four per cent of indigenous children under the age of 5 years are stunted, 45 per cent are underweight and 27 per cent are wasted. Less than 6 per cent of young children, women and migrating men have a diet that fulfills their minimum nutritional requirements.

A majority of the films drew on intergenerational and Indigenous knowledge about edible plants, insects, and rodents; skills in foraging and preparing food; awareness of the benefits of the food; and sustainability issues across the traditional food systems.

The filmmakers initially focused on responding to community needs and showcasing Santhal cultural practices. Their later films began to reflect on aspects of their culture that needed to be preserved, revived, or modified. Audience reflection supported this process, identifying both strengths and gaps.

There were many suggestions for further films that could document other food items and recipes, especially those linked to health and nutrition.

An 18-year-old female filmmaker said: “My grandmother becomes very happy whenever I ask her about local food and culture. She says that during her childhood there were no phones or electronic media, or social media where she could have shared her knowledge. So it's a good thing that her granddaughter is trying to preserve what is their own by making films around the food they get from the forest and reach out to many people around the world.”

The project also sought to challenge unequal power relations between women and men in Santhal communities. While women are generally responsible for the collection and processing of all foods, it is important that men and upcoming generations learn about locally availably foods and preparation methods, as it has been shown that food security improves when nutrition information is provided to both male and female heads of households.

Prof Rao said: “Collective access to nutrition literacy is more effective than only women’s access to it.”

She cited a film that featured young boys hunting and cooking bamboo tree-dwelling rats [banwar], in which the filmmaker said: "Let us think if there are so many benefits in eating banwar, can women and girls not cook it in their home and eat it too?"

Prof Rao said: “The filmmakers have identified a gender discriminatory norm and through this film are attempting to reconstruct this cultural norm so that girls are not deprived of the benefits of this source of nutrition.

“As films are made, they challenge some of the biases and notions of ‘shame’, ‘backwardness’, or indeed ‘modernity’. In creating a more respectful dialogue between different actors, we empowered the most marginalized, giving them voice in a society where they generally remain unheard.”

The films have gained international recognition, with some being selected for the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit Youth Challenge and the Science Film Festival, with screenings across South Asia. Additionally they have been used by universities in India as teaching and learning resources.

Local media coverage about the Santhal youth filmmakers brought them to the attention of senior political leaders, illustrating the potential of this medium for reviving, but also modifying, Indigenous practices. 

Prof Rao said: “This demonstrates the liberating aspect of the project where the participants had the opportunity to talk freely in their own language about their own perspectives and practices without fearing alienation by the dominant culture.”

‘Cameras in the hands of indigenous youth: Participation, films and nutrition in India’, published August 17 in Current Developments in Nutrition.

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JOURNAL

Current Developments in Nutrition

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Cameras in the hands of indigenous youth: Participation, films and nutrition in India’

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

17-Aug-2022

1 g cut in daily salt intake could ward off nearly 9 million cases of stroke/heart disease in China

...And save 4 million lives by 2030, modelling study suggests

Peer-Reviewed Publication

BMJ

A modest cut of just 1 g in daily salt intake could ward off nearly 9 million cases of heart disease and strokes and save 4 million lives by 2030, suggest the estimates of a modelling study published in the open access journal BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health.

Salt intake in China is one of the highest in the world, averaging 11 g/day—over twice the amount recommended by the Chinese government. High salt intake drives up blood pressure and therefore the risk of cardiovascular disease, which accounts for 40% of all deaths in China every year.

The researchers set out to estimate the health gains that could be achieved by reducing salt intake across the nation, with the aim of helping to inform the development of a doable salt reduction programme.

They compiled the latest and most reliable figures for population size, salt intake, blood pressure and disease rates by region and age and then estimated the impact on cardiovascular health for 3 different approaches.

The first of these was a 1 g/day reduction in salt intake to be achieved within 1 year. The second was the WHO’s interim target of a 30% reduction by 2025—equivalent to a gradual reduction of 3.2 g/day. 

The third was reducing salt intake to less than 5 g/day by 2030, the target set by the Chinese government in its action plan for health and development, ‘Healthy China 2030’.

They then estimated the falls in systolic blood pressure—the higher number in a blood pressure reading that indicates the force at which the heart pumps blood around the body—and the subsequent risk of heart attacks/stroke and cardiovascular disease deaths.

Given that, on average, adults in China consume 11 g/day of salt, reducing this by 1 g/day should lower average systolic blood pressure by about 1.2 mmHg. And if this reduction were achieved in a year and sustained, some 9 million cases of heart disease and stroke could be prevented by 2030—4 million of them fatal. 

Keeping this up for another 10 years could add up to around 13 million cases of heart attack and strokes avoided—6 million of them fatal.

Achieving the WHO's interim target by 2025 would require a 3.2 g/day fall in salt intake. Were this to be maintained for another 5 years, a cumulative total of about 14 million cases of heart disease and strokes could be prevented by 2030—6 million of them fatal. 

And if kept up until 2040, the cumulative total could reach around 27 million cases, 12 million of them fatal. 

Achieving the ‘Healthy China 2030’ target  would require a 6 g/day reduction in salt intake, reducing average systolic blood pressure by just over 7 mmHg, adding up to 17 million cases of heart disease and strokes prevented—8 million of them fatal.

The benefits of a reduction in dietary salt intake would apply to men and women of all ages across China, say the researchers.

There might also be additional health benefits, which the lack of relevant data didn’t allow the researchers to estimate: these include secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease and reductions in cases of chronic kidney disease and stomach cancer, rates of which are already high or rising in China, they suggest.

“The Chinese government’s action plan ‘Healthy China 2030’ includes nutritional recommendations to reduce the intake of salt, sugar and oil. This modelling study shows that salt reduction alone could bring enormous health benefits to the entire population of China,”  say the researchers, adding that a 1 g daily reduction in intake “would be easily achievable.” 

But they highlight: “Our estimates rely on salt reductions to not only be achieved, but also sustained over time, which may be a great challenge given the fast-changing dietary patterns seen in China given its rapid urbanisation.”

They conclude: “The evidence for the substantial benefits of salt reduction in China is consistent and compelling. Achieving and sustaining population salt reduction in China could prevent millions of unnecessary cardiovascular events and deaths. Given the sheer size of the Chinese population, this would also bring major benefits to global health.”

“Modelling studies like this one provide an indicator of how specific dietary changes have the potential to alter the course of diet related disease,” comments Shane McAuliffe,  Science and Digital Communications Lead at the NNEdPro Global Centre for Nutrition and Health, which co-owns the journal.
 
“Given the established dose-response relationship between salt intake, systolic blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, reducing the intake of one of the highest global consumers would have a significant impact on population health—something that has already been achieved in other countries worldwide,” he adds.

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DOI

10.1136/bmjnph-2021-000408 

ARTICLE TITLE

Reducing daily salt intake in China by 1 g could prevent almost 9 million cardiovascular events by 2030: a modelling study doi

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

16-Aug-2022

China meets Serbia as genetic testing applications goes global | BGI Perspectives

Business Announcement

BGI GENOMICS

 

IMAGE: SCREENSHOT OF WHO DIRECTOR-GENERAL DR TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS’ TWEET THANKING THE WHO SCIENCE COUNCIL FOR ITS INAUGURAL REPORT view more 

CREDIT: WHO TWITTER PAGE

"Genomic technologies are driving some of the most ground-breaking research happening today. Yet the benefits of these tools will not be fully realized unless they are deployed worldwide. Only through equity, can science reach its full potential impact and improve health for everyone, everywhere," said Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, WHO Chief Scientist. 

As post-pandemic recovery speeds up, there is increasing realization about the value of genomic technology applications in confronting infectious diseases, cancers, and other chronic diseases. But how exactly can these tools become more accessible worldwide? 

This requires the contributions of professionals such as BGI Genomics Field Applications Support engineer and project leader Grace Xu who has spent over two-thirds of her time supporting clients since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in February 2020. She joins us to share her unique perspective after 22 months away from home at Serbia, Saudi Arabia and Australia.  

Spending over half of her time overseas since Feb 2020

Xu returned to China in June 2022, after spending eight months in Serbia helping to train a local team at the country's first genome sequencing center at the Serbian Genome Sequencing and Bio-informatics Center. There are strict quality control standards, and the local team is benchmarked against the sequencing results that a more established team at another location is churning out. 

This center has a COVID-19 sequencing line. In addition, there are three other sequencing product lines focusing on non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), whole exome sequencing (WES) and whole genome sequencing (WGS). 

This is Xu's third trip overseas. She spent four months in Australia and ten months in Saudi Arabia. In total, she spent around 22 months overseas since COVID-19 started in February 2020. 

"I actually spent more than two-thirds of my time overseas since February 2020 but it was a time of great personal and professional growth for myself as I got to lead teams overseas and learn from our clients. My family was very encouraging even when I missed home and that kept me going as well," Xu said. 

Looking back, Xu noticed that her team's work depends on where we are at in terms of global COVID-19 response. For Serbia, COVID-19 control is still important but there is great interest to realize other important genomic applications as well. 

The bond of friendship between Serbia and China 

BGI Genomics had implemented a Huoyan lab project  that focused on COVID-19 testing though Xu was not involved in it, but she met some members of the Serbian team that were involved in that work. 

This proved useful as Serbia invested in the construction and infrastructure of this Center as per their requirements since these team members understood the safety aspect of the work very well. 

As this Center is located within the University of Belgrade, "Our Serbian counterparts are extremely qualified with many of them holding doctorate degrees and asking very good questions," Xu said. "It is no surprise that this Center is setting new milestones such as being the first NIPT facility in the country." 

NIPT is suitable for screening advanced pregnancy, twin pregnancy, and pregnancies with a history of trisomy, high risk of aneuploidy, contraindications for invasive procedures, or in-vitro fertilization.  

There is a close bond of friendship between Serbia and China. "Outside the laboratories, we often receive 'ni hao(hello in Chinese)' greetings and hear 'Thank you for helping out during the pandemic' from ordinary folks," Xu said. 

"The Center staff also organized a one-day city tour for the BGI Genomics team when we wrapped up our work and getting ready to return to China," Xu said. 

Dr. Jelena Begovic, Director of the Serbian Genome Sequencing and Bio-informatics Center: "We are working closely with stakeholders from various fields, to provide affordable, secure and ethical access to this technology. I also hope that we will continue to collaborate more deeply with BGI in the development of the BIO4 campus in Belgrade."

"In the post-pandemic era, Serbia is proactively accelerating access to genomics for the public. I am encouraged to hear Dr. Jelena's comments and see that the WHO's Science Council call for equitable expansion of genomics," Xu said. 

BGI Genomics is aligned with Serbia and WHO's objectives and shares a commitment to make genomics applications more available, affordable and accessible. 

"There is much that we could do together with Serbia especially in terms of early detection of diseases such as HPV which might lead to cervical cancer. We look forward to working with our Serbian friends at this Center in the future," Xu said.  

About the Serbian Genome Sequencing and Bio-informatics Center

The Serbian Genome Sequencing and Bio-informatics Center, located within the Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering (IMGGE), seeks to develop and enhance its genomic analysis, whole exome sequencing (WES) and whole genome sequencing (WGS) capabilities. Serbia has invested in the construction and infrastructure of this Center while BGI Genomics has donated equipment such as a genomic sequencer and sent a team of five Chinese technical experts to train their Serbian counterparts over eight months.

About BGI Genomics

BGI Genomics, headquartered in Shenzhen China, is the world's leading provider of genomic sequencing and proteomic services. We enable scientists and researchers to reach their full potential by providing them with fully integrated genomic sequencing, proteomic services, and high-quality solutions across a range of applications. Our services cover more than 100 countries and regions, involving more than 2,300 medical institutions.

CAPTION

BGI Genomics’ Grace Xu training her Serbian counterparts

CREDIT

BGI Genomics

CAPTION

The BGI Genomics team at the Serbian Genome Sequencing and Bio-informatics Center, Grace Xu is third from left

CREDIT

BGI Genomics

How hepatitis E tricks the immune system

Medicine

Peer-Reviewed Publication

RUHR-UNIVERSITY BOCHUM

 

IMAGE: DANIEL TODT, EIKE STEINMANN AND TONI LUISE MEISTER (LEFT TO RIGHT) LOOK AT THE IMAGE OF A CELL INFECTED WITH THE HEPATITIS E VIRUS. THE CAPSID PROTEIN CAN BE SEEN IN GREEN, THE CELL NUCLEUS IN BLUE. view more 

CREDIT: © ABTEILUNG FÜR MOLEKULARE UND MEDIZINISCHE VIROLOGIE

Advantages and disadvantages of mutations

Antibodies are an important defence mechanism against viral infections in our body. They specifically bind mostly to surface proteins of viruses to render it harmless. But, viruses have developed strategies to evade this neutralisation. During an infection with the hepatitis E virus, random mutations often give rise to virus variants that can coexist within an infected person. The antiviral agent Ribavirin, which many chronically infected patients receive, can even increase the formation of such variants.

The research team took a closer look at eight capsid protein variants from samples of chronically infected patients treated with ribavirin in the laboratory. The team wanted to know: Do the genetic changes bring advantages or disadvantaged for the virus? Do they influence the virus’ ability to replicate or its infectivity?

„While seven of the investigated mutations behaved exactly like the wild type virus, we found differences in one mutant,” reports Toni Luise Meister. This mutation affects the capsid protein, which is essential for packaging the viral particles. “The viruses with this mutation are assembled incorrectly, are probably smaller than the wild type virus, and the capsid protein does not accumulate in the cell,” describes Daniel Todt. These particles are not infectious, but are correctly recognised and bound by antibodies of the immune system. “This could be an advantage for the virus. These defective particles could potentially catch antibodies, so that there are no longer enough to neutralise correctly assembled, infectious virus particles,” speculates Eike Steinmann.

Hepatitis E

The hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the main cause of acute viral hepatitis. Around 70,000 people die from the disease every year. After the first documented epidemic outbreak in 1955 to 1956, more than 50 years passed before researchers took a closer look at the issue. Acute infections usually heal on their own in individuals with an intact immune system. In patients with reduced or suppressed immune systems, such as organ transplant recipients or HIV-infected patients, HEV can become chronic. HEV is also particularly threatening for pregnant women.

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JOURNAL

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI

10.1073/pnas.2202653119 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Cells

ARTICLE TITLE

A ribavirin-induced ORF2 single nucleotide variant produces defective hepatitis E virus particles with immune decoy function

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

15-Aug-2022

Genomics empowers vaccine makers to tackle shapeshifting bacteria

Peer-Reviewed Publication

WELLCOME TRUST SANGER INSTITUTE

A pioneering genomic surveillance study has provided the clearest picture yet of the arms race between Streptococcus pneumoniae, the bacterium responsible for a range of illnesses such as pneumonia and meningitis, and the vaccines designed to protect against the most dominant types. A strain called GPSC10 was found to be a particular threat, due to its increased virulence, ability to transform its structure to evade vaccines and its resistance to several common antibiotics.

The study, published today (16 August) in Lancet Microbe, was led by the Wellcome Sanger Institute, National Reference Center for Pneumococci, France, and Hospital Sant Joan de Deu, Spain, as part of the Global Pneumococcal Sequencing (GPS) project. The findings demonstrate the value of genomic surveillance to inform vaccine design and highlight the challenge posed by ‘shapeshifting’ strains like GPSC10.

Streptococcus pneumoniae, also known as the pneumococcus, is a bacterial pathogen that causes diseases ranging from ear infections through to pneumonia, septicaemia and meningitis. It is responsible for around nine million global infections annually, with elderly adults and children particularly susceptible. More than 300,000 children die from pneumococcal infection each year, mainly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)1.

Since 2000, a series of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) have been deployed that have targeted S. pneumoniae serotypes responsible for most disease cases in infants2, resulting in a reduction in disease worldwide. Currently, PCV-13 targets 13 serotypes and PCVs targeting up to 25 serotypes are in development. However, there are more than 100 distinct serotypes, and they can affect children and adults in different ways. Knowing which serotypes to target with the PCVs, and what the likely impact will be on disease and the wider pneumococcal population, is vitally important when designing effective global vaccination strategies.

Through the work of the GPS project since 2011, a picture of the S. pneumoniae serotypes in circulation has been built up that allows trends in the bacterial population to be identified. One serotype, 24F, has been on the rise, as documented by the National Reference Center for Pneumococci, France and many other countries such as Canada, Denmark, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Norway, Spain, and UK.

In this new study, scientists from the Wellcome Sanger Institute performed whole-genome sequencing on 419 samples of S. pneumoniae serotype 24F, collected from individuals in France between 2003 and 2018 by the National Reference Center for Pneumococci (NRCP) and Association Clinique et Therapeutique Infantile du Val-de-Marne (ACTIV), and on 91 pneumococcal serotype 24F isolates collected from individuals in Spain by the Hospital Sant Joan de Deu. To provide a global comparison, an international collection of other S. pneumoniae genomes were added from the Global Pneumococcal Sequencing (GPS) project database.

Dr Stephanie Lo, first author of the study from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, said: “In a microbiology lab, classifying strains and testing for drug resistance are time consuming and resource intensive. Whole genome sequencing can now reliably infer serotype and antibiotic resistance profiles, identify where outbreaks might be occurring and track which strains mediate serotype replacement. So it’s one test that can answer a lot of different questions.”

Analysis showed that 24F was present in many countries largely due to the spread of three strains: GPSC10, GPSC16 and GPSC206. One strain in particular, GPSC10, was responsible for the rapid increase in 24F in France around four years following the introduction of PCV-13. It was found to have high disease potential and be resistant to multiple antibiotic treatments.

These findings support recent research that showed that GPSC10 drove the increase in 24F after the introduction of PCV-13 in Spain, and that 24F is one of the most frequent causes of pneumococcal disease in children in different countries. In India, the country estimated to have the largest burden of pneumococcal disease, researchers have predicted that GPSC10 has the potential to evade PCV-13. These and other studies from GPS partners across the globe are collected in an issue of Microbial Genomics.

Perhaps the biggest concern arising from the study was GPSC10’s ability to express 17 different serotypes, only six of which are included in current PCV vaccines.

Dr Emmanuelle Varon, a senior author of the study from the National Reference Center for Pneumococci, Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal de Créteil, France, said: “The Streptococcus pneumoniae strain GPSC10 is something of a shapeshifter, able to express a wide range of serotypes and multidrug resistance patterns. Surveillance on pneumococcal disease, such as that implemented in France since 2001, is our best tool to evaluate the impact of vaccine policies and will allow us to detect the emergence of other non-vaccine serotypes.”

To some extent, the evolutionary arms race between pathogens and vaccine makers is inevitable. If one strain dies out because it has been targeted by a vaccine, other strains may rise to take its place. A strain may also evolve sufficiently that vaccines cease to be effective against it. The important thing is that vaccine makers and public health organisations have the best information with which to keep pace and, ultimately, to save lives.

Professor Stephen Bentley, a senior author of the study from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, said: “It’s exciting that genomic surveillance now allows us to have a real impact on improving pneumococcal vaccines and, most importantly, helping to reduce the number of children who die from related illnesses in low- and middle-income countries. The whole Global Pneumococcal Survey consortium should also be proud of the huge collaborative effort that has gone into generating these data.”

ENDS

Contact details:
Dr Matthew Midgley
Press Office
Wellcome Sanger Institute
Cambridge, CB10 1SA
Phone: 0044 1223 494856
Email: press.office@sanger.ac.uk

Notes to Editors:

1 For more information on S. pneumoniae and pneumococcal disease, see the CDC website.

2 A serotype is a group of strains that share similar biological features, usually on the cell surface. In S. pneumoniae, the serotype is determined by properties of the capsule that surrounds the bacterium, protecting it from attack by the host immune system. A vaccine designed to target a certain serotype is able to disrupt all the strains that belong to it.

Publication:

Stephanie W. Lo and Kate Mellor et al. (2022). Emergence of a multidrug-resistant and virulent Streptococcus pneumoniae lineage mediates serotype replacement after PCV13: an international whole-genome sequencing study. Lancet Microbe. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2666-5247(22)00158-6

 

Funding:

This research was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome Sanger Institute, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Selected websites:

The Global Pneumococcal Sequencing (GPS) project

The mission of the GPS is to establish a worldwide genomic surveillance network for Streptococcus pneumoniae to provide evidence for pneumococcal disease control by building a decentralised system for local data generation and analysis that will be sustainable into the future. https://www.pneumogen.net/gps/

The Wellcome Sanger Institute
The Wellcome Sanger Institute is a world leading genomics research centre. We undertake large-scale research that forms the foundations of knowledge in biology and medicine. We are open and collaborative; our data, results, tools and technologies are shared across the globe to advance science. Our ambition is vast – we take on projects that are not possible anywhere else. We use the power of genome sequencing to understand and harness the information in DNA. Funded by Wellcome, we have the freedom and support to push the boundaries of genomics. Our findings are used to improve health and to understand life on Earth. Find out more at www.sanger.ac.uk or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and on our Blog.

About Wellcome

Wellcome supports science to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone. We support discovery research into life, health and wellbeing, and we’re taking on three worldwide health challenges: mental health, global heating and infectious diseases. https://wellcome.org

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JOURNAL

The Lancet Microbe

DOI

10.1016/S2666-5247(22)00158-6 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Emergence of a multidrug-resistant and virulent Streptococcus pneumoniae lineage mediates serotype replacement after PCV13: an international whole-genome sequencing study

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

16-Aug-2022

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