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
Predicting the zoonotic capacity of mammals to transmit SARS-CoV-2
Predicting the zoonotic capacity of mammals to transmit SARS-CoV-2 Fischhoff, I. R., Castellanos, A. A., Rodrigues, J. P. G. L. M., Varsani, A. & Han, B. A., Nov 24 2021, In: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 288, 1963, p. 20211651 1 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Use of hemagglutinin and neuraminidase amplicon-based high-throughput sequencing with variant analysis to detect co-infection and resolve identical consensus sequences of seasonal influenza in a university setting
Use of hemagglutinin and neuraminidase amplicon-based high-throughput sequencing with variant analysis to detect co-infection and resolve identical consensus sequences of seasonal influenza in a university setting Faleye, T. O. C., Adams, D., Adhikari, S., Sandrolini, H., Halden, R. U., Varsani, A. & Scotch, M., Dec 2021, In: BMC Infectious Diseases. 21, 1, 810. Research output: … Read more
Circoviruses and cycloviruses identified in Weddell seal fecal samples from McMurdo Sound, Antarctica
Circoviruses and cycloviruses identified in Weddell seal fecal samples from McMurdo Sound, Antarctica Patterson, Q. M., Kraberger, S., Martin, D. P., Shero, M. R., Beltran, R. S., Kirkham, A. L., Aleamotu’a, M., Ainley, D. G., Kim, S., Burns, J. M. & Varsani, A., Nov 2021, In: Infection, Genetics and Evolution. 95, 105070. Research output: Contribution … Read more
RDP5: A computer program for analyzing recombination in, and removing signals of recombination from, nucleotide sequence datasets
RDP5: A computer program for analyzing recombination in, and removing signals of recombination from, nucleotide sequence datasets Martin, D. P., Varsani, A., Roumagnac, P., Botha, G., Maslamoney, S., Schwab, T., Kelz, Z., Kumar, V. & Murrell, B., Jan 1 2021, In: Virus Evolution. 7, 1, veaa087. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Diverse single‐stranded dna viruses identified in chicken buccal swabs
Diverse single‐stranded dna viruses identified in chicken buccal swabs Chrzastek, K., Kraberger, S., Schmidlin, K., Fontenele, R. S., Kulkarni, A., Chappell, L., Dufour‐zavala, L., Kapczynski, D. R. & Varsani, A., Dec 2021, In: Microorganisms. 9, 12, 2602. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2021 Taxonomic update of phylum Negarnaviricota (Riboviria: Orthornavirae), including the large orders Bunyavirales and Mononegavirales
2021 Taxonomic update of phylum Negarnaviricota (Riboviria: Orthornavirae), including the large orders Bunyavirales and Mononegavirales Kuhn, J. H., Adkins, S., Agwanda, B. R., Al Kubrusli, R., Alkhovsky, S. V., Amarasinghe, G. K., Avšič-Županc, T., Ayllón, M. A., Bahl, J., Balkema-Buschmann, A., Ballinger, M. J., Basler, C. F., Bavari, S., Beer, M., Bejerman, N., Bennett, A. … Read more
