UK virus hunting labs seek to bolster global variant network

By DANICA KIRKA
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — British scientists hunting down coronavirus variants have a new mission: sharing their expertise with others around the world. At the Wellcome Sanger Institute in Cambridge, the air conditioners hum constantly, countering the heat thrown off by rows of high-tech sequencing machines that work seven days a week analyzing the genetic material of COVID-19 cases. The laboratory shows how British scientists have industrialized the process of genomic sequencing, making them a world leader in helping public health authorities track the spread of new variants. Experts say the omicron variant now fueling infection spikes around the world shows the need for global cooperation.