Chinese scientist makes Nature list for work on emerging Covid variants
- Cao Yunlong has warned that previous infections and existing vaccines may not protect against new strains
- Peking University biochemist says that, based on extensive research data, mutations of the virus can be predicted
A Chinese scientist who predicted Omicron’s evolution has been named by the journal Nature as one of 10 people who “helped shape science” this year.
Cao Yunlong, a biochemist at Peking University, has warned that previous infections and existing vaccines may not provide broad enough protection against new strains.
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“I want to emphasise that the current convergent evolution trend can be predicted,” Cao wrote on Twitter in October.
He said the pseudoviruses the researchers created in July were close to the emerging mutants seen in October. “However, I thought our prediction would last till next July,” Cao said.
The team’s research findings were available on preprint site bioRxiv.org in October and will soon be published in Nature, according to Peking University’s Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Centre, where Cao works.
Rich Monastersky, chief features editor at Nature, said stories of the people on the Nature’s 10 list provided “unique glimpses into some of the biggest events in science” this year.
“In a year full of crises and stunning discoveries, this year’s … list features an astronomer who helped open a window into the distant reaches of the universe, researchers who had pivotal roles in confronting the Covid-19 pandemic and the mpox outbreak, and a surgeon who pushed the limits on organ transplantation,” Monastersky was quoted in the journal as saying.