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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.
Scripps Research scientists receive $15 million to study viral outbreak survivors. With a new $15 million grant, scientists at Scripps Research are gearing up for an in-depth study of survivors of viral outbreaks.
Our Center just went online and we’ll be hiring shortly. In the meantime, please contact the individual labs for more information about upcoming positions.
