Varsani Lab

Molecular Virology Lab

Varsani Lab @ The Biodesign Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics, Arizona State University, Tempe, USA; arvind.varsani[at]asu.edu

Varsani Lab - the viral kind

We are a wild 'viral' molecular virology research group that works across ecosystems studying viral dynamics.

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Our broader objectives are to

  1. 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.
  2. Unravel the viral evolutionary dynamics as a consequence of climate change.
  3. 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

6/2023 - current: Professor at the Biodesign Institute and School of Life Sciences

07/2016 - 6/2023: 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

ASU Now - Arvind Varsani portrait - Tempe campus - Biodesign - January 23rd, 2020  Biodesign Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics associate professor and associate faculty in the Biodesign Center for Mechanisms of Evolution Arvind Varsani poses for a portrait at Biodesign on the Tempe campus Thursday evening on January 23rd, 2020. Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
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Publications

Anelloviridae taxonomy update 2023

November 9, 2023

Anelloviridae taxonomy update 2023Varsani, A., Kraberger, S., Opriessnig, T., Maggi, F., Celer, V., Okamoto, H. & Biagini, P., Nov 2023, In: Archives of virology. 168, 11, 277.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Enhanced detection of mpox virus in wastewater using a pre-amplification approach: A pilot study informing population-level monitoring of low-titer pathogens

October 26, 2023

Enhanced detection of mpox virus in wastewater using a pre-amplification approach: A pilot study informing population-level monitoring of low-titer pathogens Bowes, D. A., Henke, K. B., Driver, E. M., Newell, M. E., Block, I., Shaffer, G., Varsani, A., Scotch, M. & Halden, R. U., Dec 10 2023, In: Science of the Total Environment. 903, 166230. … Read more

Characterization of Diverse Anelloviruses, Cressdnaviruses, and Bacteriophages in the Human Oral DNA Virome from North Carolina (USA)

October 26, 2023

Characterization of Diverse Anelloviruses, Cressdnaviruses, and Bacteriophages in the Human Oral DNA Virome from North Carolina (USA) Paietta, E. N., Kraberger, S., Custer, J. M., Vargas, K. L., Espy, C., Ehmke, E., Yoder, A. D. & Varsani, A., Sep 2023, In: Viruses. 15, 9, 1821. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Identification of a novel polyomavirus in wild Sonoran Desert rodents of the family Heteromyidae

October 13, 2023

Identification of a novel polyomavirus in wild Sonoran Desert rodents of the family Heteromyidae Vargas, K. L., Kraberger, S., Custer, J. M., Paietta, E. N., Culver, M., Munguia-Vega, A., Dolby, G. & Varsani, A., Oct 2023, In: Archives of virology. 168, 10, 253. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Identification and characterization of a polyomavirus in the thornback skate (Raja clavata)

September 14, 2023

Identification and characterization of a polyomavirus in the thornback skate (Raja clavata) Abrantes, J., Varsani, A., Pereira, P., Maia, C., Farias, I., Veríssimo, A. & Neves, F., Dec 2023, In: Virology Journal. 20, 1, 190. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Author Correction: Guidelines for public database submission of uncultivated virus genome sequences for taxonomic classification (Nature Biotechnology, (2023), 41, 7, (898-902), 10.1038/s41587-023-01844-2)

September 14, 2023

Author Correction: Guidelines for public database submission of uncultivated virus genome sequences for taxonomic classification (Nature Biotechnology, (2023), 41, 7, (898-902), 10.1038/s41587-023-01844-2) Adriaenssens, E. M., Roux, S., Brister, J. R., Karsch-Mizrachi, I., Kuhn, J. H., Varsani, A., Yigang, T., Reyes, A., Lood, C., Lefkowitz, E. J., Sullivan, M. B., Edwards, R. A., Simmonds, P., Rubino, … Read more

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