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KZN scientist has a way of tackling COVID-19 variant in groundbreaking research
2 February 2021 2:42 PM
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PHD student Sandile Cele says antibodies in patients didn t recognise the COVID-19 variant as well as they did in the first variant.
The first consignment of the COVID-19 vaccines arrived at OR Tambo International Airport on Monday afternoon.
Frontline healthcare workers are first in line for vaccination and will get two jabs four weeks apart.
A doctoral student at the University of KwaZulu-Natal who is doing incredible research on the new variant of the COVID-19 virus.
Sandile Cele is a scientist credited with coming up with a creative way of growing a live virus.
KZN scientist finds new way of growing new Covid-19 variant in groundbreaking research
By Staff Reporter
SILINDILE NYATHIKAZI
Durban - A DURBAN medical student at the University of KwaZulu-Natal Nelson Mandela School of Medicine and aspiring virologist has come up with a creative way of growing the South African Covid-19 variant.
Where the virus is usually grown in cells that were isolated from monkeys, this time Sandile Cele found that the new variant (called 501Y.V2) did not grow in these cells and had to try a different way.
“I figured out that I had to first use a human cell line to grow it, and then use these infected cells to infect the monkey cell line,” said Cele.