Viruses are a constant threat to global health, as highlighted by the current COVID-19 pandemic. However, lack of data underlying how the human host interacts with viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, limits the development and utilization of effective therapeutic intervention. Our WIS groups aim to dissect the mechanisms of viral-infection and pathology, in generating the next diagnostics, vaccinations, and treatments for this virus.
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a worldwide effort to design vaccines using different platforms. Our WIS lab partners develop computational and experimental methods in mapping of host- SARS-CoV-2 interactions at the single cell level, studying antibody effector functions, and decoding translation of SARS-CoV-2 proteins and viral evasion mechanisms by which the virus shuts off cellular protein synthesis and disarms the innate immune response. Moreover, using protein-design and engineering, bioinformatics, and algorithm development, our researchers identify and predict expected COVID-19 mutations and future variants, thereby providing a leeway towards early intervention.