Coronavirus stays on surfaces of hospitals, floors of patient rooms: Study

Coronavirus stays on surfaces of hospitals, floors of patient rooms: Study

Subject : Science & tech

Context : The researchers also noted that even though the virus’ unique genetic signature was detected on a surface, it didn’t necessarily mean that they were able to infect the healthcare workers tending to the patients.

Concept :

• A gene signature or gene expression signature is a single or combined group of genes in a cell with a uniquely characteristic pattern of gene expression that occurs as a result of an altered or unaltered biological process or pathogenic medical condition.
• This is not to be confused with the concept of gene expression profiling. Activating pathways in a regular physiological process or a physiological response to a stimulus results in a cascade of signal transduction and interactions that elicit altered levels of gene expression, which is classified as the gene signature of that physiological process or response.
• The clinical applications of gene signatures breakdown into prognostic, diagnostic and predictive signatures.
• The phenotypes that may theoretically be defined by a gene expression signature range from those that predict the survival or prognosis of an individual with a disease, those that are used to differentiate between different subtypes of a disease, to those that predict activation of a particular pathway.
• Ideally, gene signatures can be used to select a group of patients for whom a particular treatment will be effective.