Presenter: Supraja Kanipakam, Public Health Science, Global Public Health Scholars
Infectious diseases kill over 17 million people a year. The inevitable, but unpredictable, appearance of new infectious or emerging viruses are a major threat to human health and global stability. Today, despite advancements in diagnostics and therapeutics, residual risk is unavoidable. Characterizing pathogens present in blood donors is needed to discover prevalence and epidemiology of viruses to anticipate new threats. Advanced technologies such as Next-Generation sequencing (NGS) has the ability to simultaneously detect multiple-blood borne pathogens (bacteria, viruses, and/or parasites) present within patient samples. Among patients with “influenza-like” (ILI) symptoms, by using DNA sequencing and bioinformatic programs, we found that bacteria present in blood samples is E.coli and viruses present are phlebovirus, Uukuniemi and Semliki virus. Furthermore, among 10 HCV patient samples, 4 were discovered with HCV co-infected with the Pegivirus, which is a novel virus that has been recently discovered. We learned, in addition to NGS’s remarkable ability to rapidly detect viruses, the importance of DNA and biomedical research. If we can predict, discover, and prevent novel and emerging viruses before they strike an outbreak, we can save human lives.
Hi Supraja, cool presentation! Rapid diagnostics is also an interest of mine, so it was interesting to listen to your presentation. It sounds like you gained a lot from the experience. Can the technology be applied to other types of samples like saliva? Do you know how long the test takes to complete? Also, what types of tools would researchers use to confirm the effectivity of results? What are the benefits of NGS over other detection technolgies? Good luck with your future research!
I really enjoyed your presentation, Supraja! You did a great job explaining the conclusions of your research. As a Public Health Major, how did this experience compare to learning in the classroom? I was inspired by your passion for this project, and I was wondering how working in the Laboratory of Molecular Virology helped you to better understand what you wanted to do with Public Health in the future?
Hello! Thank you for your questions. This lab was the first one that I have worked in! It has been a great experience. Initially, it took time to understand the protocols for the various steps; I had a great mentor who walked me through the process, so that I develop an understand of the biochemical processes as I conduct the experiment! There were two aspects in the lab that I was exposed to: laboratory bench work and computational analysis. Both were essential for the final project. The environment and study have taught me creativity, thinking outside-the-box, and applying knowledge. Research excites me and has solidified my passion for the prevention of infectious diseases!
Supraja,
Your poster and presentation were both very clear and told a great story about infectious disease and the importance of reliable and rapid testing. It was great to hear about the different tests you ran, and the novel Pegivirus. I am curious to hear more about your experience in the lab. Is this the first lab that you have worked in? What did you learn about research and testing working in this environment? Great job!