Evolutionary Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2

About this Class

Presenter: Trevor Bedford, Ph.D. Associate Professor Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division Human Biology Division Herbold Computational Biology Program Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Genomic epidemiology has enabled critical insights during the COVID-19 pandemic.  At the forefront of these insights has been SARS-CoV-2's remarkable potential for adaptive evolution.  Dr. Bedford will discuss the evolutionary dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 with a focus on the emergence of variant of concern and variant of interest viruses.  He will characterize mutational patterns in these variant viruses and chart their spread across geographies.  He also will provide a larger perspective on genomic surveillance, projected future viral circulation patterns, and strategies for ongoing pandemic management. Dr. Bedford is an associate professor in the vaccine and infectious disease division, the human biology division, and the Herbold Computational Biology Program at Fred Hutch.  The Bedford lab studies the rapid spread and evolution of viruses, including those that cause COVID-19, influenza, Ebola, and Zika.  Bedford's visual representations of viral family trees are used to show how the fate of dangerous outbreaks is often determined by the genetics of the infectious agent, human behavior, and geography. Link now to https://videocast.nih.gov/ical.ics?live=43795 to add this to your Outlook calendar.  Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits will be available; the code will be announced at the start of the lecture.