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
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
Publications
ICTV Virus Taxonomy Profile: Anelloviridae 2026
J Gen Virol. 2026 Mar;107(3):002222. doi: 10.1099/jgv.0.002222.ABSTRACTThe family Anelloviridae includes viruses with circular, negative-sense, ssDNA genomes of 1.7-3.9 kb. Anelloviruses form non-enveloped icosahedral virions constructed of the ORF1 protein, which adopts the single jelly-roll structural fold. Anelloviruses have been isolated from a broad range of birds and mammals, including humans, but are not associated with … Read more
Host-anellovirus interactions in an island ecosystem: non-human primates and rodents in Madagascar harbour diverse, rich anellovirus populations
Microb Genom. 2026 Apr;12(4):001681. doi: 10.1099/mgen.0.001681. ABSTRACT Anelloviruses are circular, negative-sense single-stranded DNA viruses that have remarkable diversity and ubiquity across mammals. However, few studies have attempted to determine anellovirus diversity and dynamics across a biodiverse landscape. Madagascar offers a unique opportunity to study anellovirus diversity, with speciose, endemic mammalian lineages that have evolved in … Read more
Changes to virus taxonomy, the international code of virus classification and nomenclature, and the ICTV statutes ratified by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (2025)
Arch Virol. 2025 Dec 18;171(1):23. doi: 10.1007/s00705-025-06485-1. ABSTRACT The 56th meeting of the Executive Committee (EC) of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) was held in Bari, Italy, in July/August, 2024, and 115 submitted taxonomy proposals were reviewed. A total of 112 were subsequently ratified by the ICTV membership. An additional 9 error … Read more
Metagenome-assembled genomes of anelloviruses in crowned lemur and aye-aye swabs
Microbiol Resour Announc. 2026 Mar 12;15(3):e0147325. doi: 10.1128/mra.01473-25. Epub 2026 Feb 18. ABSTRACT Two circular, complete genomes of anelloviruses were identified from a crowned lemur anal swab and an aye-aye skin swab from individuals at the Duke Lemur Center (Durham, NC, USA). The anelloviruses represent two species in the Anelloviridae family and expand a developing … Read more
Turbulent dynamo in the terrestrial magnetosheath
Nat Commun. 2026 Feb 18;17(1):2909. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-69469-y. ABSTRACT Dynamo action refers to energy exchange processes through which magnetic fields are generated at the expense of kinetic energy of the plasma flows. Dynamos can generate magnetic fields across scales larger or smaller than the flows themselves. Multi-scale dynamo processes underpin magnetic phenomena from planetary cores to … Read more
Genetic diversity of Apis mellifera filamentous virus in bees sampled in the USA and Jamaica
Arch Virol. 2026 Mar 11;171(4):125. doi: 10.1007/s00705-026-06573-w. NO ABSTRACT PMID:41811537 | DOI:10.1007/s00705-026-06573-w
