measles studyPublication

The history of measles

Many infectious diseases are thought to have emerged in humans after the Neolithic revolution. While it is broadly accepted that this also applies to measles, the exact date of emergence for this disease is controversial. In a recent study from CViSB investigators and colleagues, the genome of a 1912 measles virus was sequenced from a formalin-preserved lunch, representing the oldest…
Kristian Andersen
January 11, 2020
Workshop

Systems Biology Workshop

We are pleased to announce the 2nd annual CViSB Systems Biology workshop February 24-26, 2020 in La Jolla, CA. This two-and-a-half day workshop will emphasize computational systems biology approaches to improved understanding of host response to viral infection, across a spectrum of methods and applications.  Among topics discussed in the presentations will be included: evolution of virus and host immune…
Michelle McGraw
December 17, 2019
abstractPublication

Zika surveillance study in Cell

A new CViSB study investigating smoldering 'hidden' outbreaks of Zika in the Americas was published on the cover of Cell. In this paper we used travel surveillance and genomic epidemiology to answer a simple question - "in 2017, was the epidemic over?". The short answer, is no - read the rest of the study for the long answer. The Zika…
Kristian Andersen
August 24, 2019
vhfcNews

CViSB Year in Review

The first year of CViSB has been a busy one. Receiving the NIH grant in February, 2018 prompted the onboarding of new scientists, research trips to West Africa, and a myriad of planning and coordination meetings. Samples from over 250 Lassa and Ebola patients were collected during trips to Kenema Government Hospital (KGH). The samples will be used to generate…
Kristian Andersen
May 21, 2019
simbirieAwards

Simbirie Jalloh wins 2019 African Achievers Award

Congratulations to our KGH Program Manager Ms. Simbirie Jalloh who recently received the 2019 African Achievers Award for excellence in humanitarian service. She has worked for the Lassa fever project at Kenema Government Hospital since 2008 and was honored for her contributions towards disease prevention and control in Sierra Leone. Ms. Jalloh received the award from Deputy Minister of Information,…
Kristian Andersen
May 21, 2019
brineyPublication

Can humans produce a quintillion antibodies?

An analysis by CViSB scientists at Scripps Research of billions of distinct antibody-producing immune cells sampled from human volunteers indicates that the human antibody “repertoire” is far larger than was once thought. The finding, reported online on January 21 in Nature, suggests that humans may be capable of producing as many as 10^18, or one quintillion, distinct antibodies. The study…
Kristian Andersen
January 24, 2019
workshopWorkshop

SysBio workshop

We are pleased to announce the first annual CViSB Systems Biology workshop February 20-22, 2019 in La Jolla, CA. The workshop will focus on viral systems biology and the application of phylogenetic methods on the study of viruses. In addition, participants will hear from expert science communicators about the importance of effectively conveying scientific findings to the public. Leading infectious…
Kristian Andersen
December 11, 2018
vic_abstract_cellPublication

Ebola study w. VIC consortium

In two papers published in Cell and Cell Host Microbe CViSB investigators, together with colleagues from our VIC sister consortium, describe in detail antibody responses to Ebola. By systematic analysis of a large set of more than 170 monoclonal antibodies to Ebola virus, the researchers show which immunological features play key roles in protection against the virus. The researchers aimed to…
Kristian Andersen
August 9, 2018
lassa_rdtPublication

Rapid diagnosis of Lassa

A new study from VHFC researchers provide validation for a new rapid diagnostic test for Lassa fever. It is difficult to distinguish febrile illnesses that are common in West Africa from Lassa fever based solely on a patient’s clinical presentation. In this study, the field performance of recombinant antigen-based Lassa fever immunoassays was compared to that of quantitative polymerase chain…
Kristian Andersen
April 12, 2018
hillsJobs

We’re hiring

We are looking for postdocs, administrators, and staff scientists to join us in our mission to identify the factors determining outcomes of human infectious disease. We are looking for both wet-lab and computational biologists - people interested in 'field work' in Sierra Leone are more than welcome to apply. (more…)
Kristian Andersen
February 15, 2018