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
A parasite outbreak in notothenioid fish in an Antarctic fjord
A parasite outbreak in notothenioid fish in an Antarctic fjord Desvignes, T., Lauridsen, H., Valdivieso, A., Fontenele, R. S., Kraberger, S., Murray, K. N., Le François, N. R., Detrich, H. W., Kent, M. L., Varsani, A. & Postlethwait, J. H., Jul 15 2022, In: iScience. 25, 7, 104588.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › … Read more
Canine picornaviruses detected in wastewater in Arizona, USA 2019 and 2021
Canine picornaviruses detected in wastewater in Arizona, USA 2019 and 2021 Faleye, T. O. C., Skidmore, P. T., Elyaderani, A., Smith, A., Kaiser, N., Adhikari, S., Yanez, A., Perleberg, T., Driver, E. M., Halden, R. U., Varsani, A. & Scotch, M., Sep 2022, In: Infection, Genetics and Evolution. 103, 105315. Research output: Contribution to journal … Read more
Extensive Wastewater-Based Epidemiology as a Resourceful Tool for SARS-CoV-2 Surveillance in a Low-to-Middle-Income Country through a Successful Collaborative Quest: WBE, Mobility, and Clinical Tests
Extensive Wastewater-Based Epidemiology as a Resourceful Tool for SARS-CoV-2 Surveillance in a Low-to-Middle-Income Country through a Successful Collaborative Quest: WBE, Mobility, and Clinical Tests Sosa-Hernández, J. E., Oyervides-Muñoz, M. A., Melchor-Martínez, E. M., Driver, E. M., Bowes, D. A., Kraberger, S., Lucero-Saucedo, S. L., Fontenele, R. S., Parra-Arroyo, L., Holland, L. A., Peña-Benavides, S. A., … Read more
Editorial: The Border Between Kitavirids and Nege-Like Viruses: Tracking the Evolutionary Pace of Plant- and Arthropod-Infecting Viruses
Editorial: The Border Between Kitavirids and Nege-Like Viruses: Tracking the Evolutionary Pace of Plant- and Arthropod-Infecting Viruses Ramos-González, P. L., Kondo, H., Morozov, S., Vasilakis, N., Varsani, A., Cao, M. & Freitas-Astúa, J., May 24 2022, In: Frontiers in Plant Science. 13, 932523. Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial › peer-review
Detection of human, porcine and canine picornaviruses in municipal sewage sludge using pan-enterovirus amplicon-based long-read Illumina sequencing
Detection of human, porcine and canine picornaviruses in municipal sewage sludge using pan-enterovirus amplicon-based long-read Illumina sequencing Faleye, T. O. C., Driver, E. M., Bowes, D. A., Holm, R. H., Talley, D., Yeager, R., Bhatnagar, A., Smith, T., Varsani, A., Halden, R. U. & Scotch, M., 2022, In: Emerging Microbes and Infections. 11, 1, p. … Read more
Poxvirus infection in house finches (Haemorhous mexicanus): Genome sequence analysis and patterns of infection in wild birds
Poxvirus infection in house finches (Haemorhous mexicanus): Genome sequence analysis and patterns of infection in wild birds McGraw, K. J., Aguiar de Souza Penha, V., Drake, D. J., Kraberger, S. & Varsani, A., 2022, (Accepted/In press) In: Transboundary and Emerging Diseases. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
