next on phyloseminar.org
To attend a seminar, please visit the livestream portion of our YouTube channel.
Public Health
Genomic Surveillance of Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Minnesota – Statewide Efforts, Global Impacts
Over the past two respiratory seasons, we’ve successfully sequenced over 3,000 human Respiratory Syncytial Virus (hRSV) genomes at the Minnesota Department of Health – Infectious Disease Laboratory. These efforts began as a foil to our SARS-CoV-2 sequencing efforts, but have grown into a pioneer project for tracking the evolution of this widespread pathogen. In this seminar, Henry will discuss the development of this surveillance program, the application of phylogenetics to identify and track the emergence and seasonal changes in hRSV clades, the applications for genomic epidemiology, and how the efforts of one state lab can have widespread impact on the global picture of the virus. He will also touch on some ongoing work exploring efforts to identify sites that are shaped by positive natural selection and how some may play a role in vaccine and drug resistance. Finally, we’ll wrap up with a discussion about some of the challenges and goals for refining these methods and expanding hRSV surveillance nationally and globally.
TBA
TBA
Applying phylogenetics in public health: Past, present, and potential for the future
With the rapid growth of pathogen genomics in public health comes the increasing potential for applying phylogenetic methods within the applied public health space. While there is an immense availability of data, the infrastructure, systems, and workforce within public health are largely not designed to maximize that potential. In this seminar, Arianna will discuss some of the ways phylogenetic methods have been applied within public health to date. She will also share some of the unique challenges, opportunities, and hopes for the future for translating findings from phylogenetic approaches to public health action.