On Sept. 28, 2021, the University of Missouri researcher Kamlendra Singh led a team that analyzed protein sequences for more than 300,000 COVID-19 samples of two emerging variants around the world, known as Delta and Delta Plus.

Using bioinformatics tools and programming, the team identified five specific mutations that are far more prevalent in Delta Plus infections compared to Delta infections, including one mutation, K417N, that is present in all Delta Plus infections but not present in nearly any Delta infections.