1.Introduction of the Korea BioData Station (K-BDS) for sharing biological data
Byungwook LEE ; Seungwoo HWANG ; Pan-Gyu KIM ; Gunwhan KO ; Kiwon JANG ; Sangok KIM ; Jong-Hwan KIM ; Jongbum JEON ; Hyerin KIM ; Jaeeun JUNG ; Byoung-Ha YOON ; Iksu BYEON ; Insu JANG ; Wangho SONG ; Jinhyuk CHOI ; Seon-Young KIM
Genomics & Informatics 2023;21(1):e12-
A wave of new technologies has created opportunities for the cost-effective generation of high-throughput profiles of biological systems, foreshadowing a "data-driven science" era. The large variety of data available from biological research is also a rich resource that can be used for innovative endeavors. However, we are facing considerable challenges in big data deposition, integration, and translation due to the complexity of biological data and its production at unprecedented exponential rates. To address these problems, in 2020, the Korean government officially announced a national strategy to collect and manage the biological data produced through national R&D fund allocations and provide the collected data to researchers. To this end, the Korea Bioinformation Center (KOBIC) developed a new biological data repository, the Korea BioData Station (K-BDS), for sharing data from individual researchers and research programs to create a data-driven biological study environment. The K-BDS is dedicated to providing free open access to a suite of featured data resources in support of worldwide activities in both academia and industry.
2.Loss of Neutralizing Activity of Tixagevimab/Cilgavimab (Evusheld™) Against Omicron BN.1, a Dominant Circulating Strain Following BA.5During the Seventh Domestic Outbreak in Korea in Early 2023
Jinyoung YANG ; Seokhwan HYEON ; Jin Yang BAEK ; Min Seo KANG ; Keon Young LEE ; Young Ho LEE ; Kyungmin HUH ; Sun Young CHO ; Cheol-In KANG ; Doo Ryeon CHUNG ; Kyong Ran PECK ; Gunho WON ; Hye Won LEE ; Kwangwook KIM ; Insu HWANG ; So Yeon LEE ; Byung Chul KIM ; Yoo-kyoung LEE ; Jae-Hoon KO
Journal of Korean Medical Science 2023;38(27):e205-
Tixagevimab/cilgavimab is a monoclonal antibody used to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 among immunocompromised hosts and maintained neutralizing activity against early omicron variants. Omicron BN.1 became a dominant circulating strain in Korea early 2023, but its susceptibility to tixagevimab/cilgavimab is unclear. We conducted plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT) against BN.1 in a prospective cohort (14 patients and 30 specimens). BN.1 PRNT was conducted for one- and three-months after tixagevimab/ cilgavimab administration and the average PRNT ND 50 of each point was lower than the positive cut-off value of 20 (12.9 ± 4.5 and 13.2 ± 4.2, respectively, P = 0.825). In the paired analyses, tixagevimab/cilgavimab-administered sera could not actively neutralize BN.1 (PRNT ND 50 11.5 ± 2.9, P = 0.001), compared with the reserved activity against BA.5 (ND 50 310.5 ± 180.4). Unlike virus-like particle assay, tixagevimab/cilgavimab was not active against BN.1 in neutralizing assay, and would not be effective in the present predominance of BA.2.75 sublineages.