Varsani Lab - the viral kind
We are a wild 'viral' molecular virology research group that works across ecosystems studying viral dynamics.
Our broader objectives are to
- Study viral dynamics in Ross Sea (Antarctica) ecosystem which is recognised as anthropogenically the least-altered marine system on the planet with no evidence indicating introduction or range expansion of any species thus far, despite its changing physical environment.
- Unravel the viral evolutionary dynamics as a consequence of climate change.
- Study viral ecological interaction networks within a microbiome to unravel the dynamics of pathogen emergence.
Arvind Varsani
I am a molecular virologist who works across ecosystems from plants to animals and from the tropics to the Antarctic. My research uses a combination of traditional virology, microscopy (including transmission electron microscopy), molecular and cellular biology techniques in conjunction with modern sequencing techniques, synthetic biology and bioinformatics to characterise viruses and understand their dynamics.
Arizona State University, Tempe, USA
07/2016 - Current: Associate Professor at the Biodesign Institute and School of Life Sciences
University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
02/2009 - 07/2016: Senior lecturer / researcher in School of Biological Sciences
University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
07/2003 - 09/2008: Lecturer in the Structural Biology Research Unit
University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
1998 - 2003: PhD in Molecular and cell biology
Loughborough University, Loughborough, England
1993 - 1997: BSc, DIS in Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Publications
Single-Stranded DNA Viruses in Antarctic Cryoconite Holes
Single-Stranded DNA Viruses in Antarctic Cryoconite Holes Sommers, P., Fontenele, R. S., Kringen, T., Kraberger, S., Porazinska, D. L., Darcy, J. L., Schmidt, S. K. & Varsani, A., Nov 4 2019, In : Viruses. 11, 11 Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Kombucha: A novel model system for cooperation and conflict in a complex multi-species microbial ecosystem
Kombucha: A novel model system for cooperation and conflict in a complex multi-species microbial ecosystem May, A., Narayanan, S., Alcock, J., Varsani, A., Maley, C. & Aktipis, A., Jan 1 2019, In : PeerJ. 2019, 9, e7565. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Exploring the diversity of Poaceae-infecting mastreviruses on Reunion Island using a viral metagenomics-based approach
Exploring the diversity of Poaceae-infecting mastreviruses on Reunion Island using a viral metagenomics-based approach Claverie, S., Ouattara, A., Hoareau, M., Filloux, D., Varsani, A., Roumagnac, P., Martin, D. P., Lett, J. M. & Lefeuvre, P., Dec 1 2019, In : Scientific reports. 9, 1, 12716. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Single stranded dna viruses associated with capybara faeces sampled in brazil
Single stranded dna viruses associated with capybara faeces sampled in brazil Fontenele, R. S., Lacorte, C., Lamas, N. S., Schmidlin, K., Varsani, A. & Ribeiro, S. G., Aug 1 2019, In : Viruses. 11, 8, 710. Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article
Multiple origins of prokaryotic and eukaryotic single-stranded DNA viruses from bacterial and archaeal plasmids
Multiple origins of prokaryotic and eukaryotic single-stranded DNA viruses from bacterial and archaeal plasmids Kazlauskas, D., Varsani, A., Koonin, E. V. & Krupovic, M., Jul 31 2019, In : Nature communications. 10, 1, 1 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Molecular and partial biological characterization of the coat protein sequences of Iranian alfalfa mosaic virus isolates
Molecular and partial biological characterization of the coat protein sequences of Iranian alfalfa mosaic virus isolates Mangeli, F., Massumi, H., Alipour, F., Maddahian, M., Heydarnejad, J., Hosseinipour, A., Amid-Motlagh, M. H., Azizizadeh, M. & Varsani, A., Aug 15 2019, In : Journal of Plant Pathology. 101, 3, p. 735-742 8 p. Research output: Contribution to … Read more
