Science AMA Series: We’re a group of scientists who use genomic
sequencing technology to understand how viruses spread. Ask Us Anything!
Abstract
EDIT: Thank you everybody for all the GREAT questions! Some of us will
have to go do some sciencing, but we’ll keep checking in and continue to
answer your questions - please keep ’em coming! Hi Reddit, We are a
group of scientists who use genomic sequencing technology to study the
spread of viruses during outbreaks. Most recently we’ve been exploring
the spread of Zika virus across the Americas. In order to understand how
the virus has spread, we sequenced the virus genome from samples
obtained from infected individuals, as well as from the mosquitoes that
transmit the virus. Analysis of the genomic data allowed us to show how
Zika virus spread across South America and Central America, into the
Caribbean, and from there into Florida in the United States. Our papers
on Zika virus can be read for free here: Zika virus evolution and spread
in the Americas by Metsky et al. Establishment and cryptic transmission
of Zika virus in Brazil and the Americas by Faria et al. Genomic
epidemiology reveals multiple introductions of Zika virus into the
United States by Grubaugh et al. The following scientists will be
participating in this AMA: Kristian Andersen, PhD, an Assistant
Professor at The Scripps Research Institute and Director of Infectious
Disease Genomics at the Scripps Translational Science Institute.
Kristian has a background in host-pathogen evolution and immunology.
Nathan Grubaugh, PhD, a Research Associate at The Scripps Research
Institute. Nathan is a postdoc in the Andersen Laboratory and is an
expert on mosquito-borne viruses, such as Zika, chikungunya, and West
Nile. Hayden Metsky, a member of the Sabeti Lab at the Broad Institute
of MIT and Harvard. Hayden is a graduate student in computer science at
MIT and is interested in computational biology, machine learning, and
their applications in viral genomics. Shirlee Wohl, a member of the
Sabeti Lab at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Shirlee is a
graduate student in Systems Biology at Harvard and is interested in
using genomic approaches to understand viral disease transmission.
Bronwyn MacInnis, PhD, is Associate Director of Malaria and Viral
Genomics at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, with experience in
combining genomic technologies and epidemiology to understand and
control infectious diseases affecting global health. Jason Ladner, PhD,
a member of the Center for Genome Sciences at USAMRIID. Jason is an
evolutionary biologist who uses genetic data to understand the emergence
and spread of pathogens. Nick Loman, PhD, is a Professor of Microbial
Genomics and Bioinformatics at the University of Birmingham. His
research focuses on the use of sequencing for the diagnosis and
surveillance of infectious diseases. He has applied portable nanopore
sequencing in field conditions in Guinea during the Ebola epidemic and
in a mobile laboratory that travelled through Brazil to investigate
Zika. Steve Schaffner, PhD, a senior staff scientist at the Broad
Institute of MIT and Harvard. He is an ex-physicist who applies
computational tools to study the population genetics of humans and their
pathogens. Nathan Yozwiak, PhD, is Associate Director of Viral Genomics
at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard with experience in using
genomic technologies to detect and understand viruses and expanding
these capabilities to regions at risk of serious outbreaks. We’ll be
back at 1pm EST/ 10am PST to answer your questions. Ask us about
genetics, genomics, virus biology, outbreak surveillance - ask us
anything!