Viral Informatics, Biostatistics, and Evolution (VIBE) Lab

Ecology and environment predict spatially stratified risk of H5 highly pathogenic avian influenza clade 2.3.4.4b in wild birds across Europe - Scientific Reports Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) represents a threat to animal and human health, with the ongoing H5N1 outbreak within the H5 2.3.4.4b clade being one of the largest on record. However, it rem...

🦅 What’s driving the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) across Europe?

Using machine learning and wild bird ecology, a new study from @L_Brierley & colleagues reveals a shift towards year-round risk in cold, low-lying regions of NW Europe.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Why and how should scientists use comedy for communicating research? | VIBE Research Lab Looking for an innovative way to present your research? We have a new blog piece about science communication through the University of Glasgow’s Public Engagement Forum!

vibelab.co.uk/blog/26-02-0...

An AI for an AI: identifying zoonotic potential of avian influenza viruses via genomic machine learning Avian influenza remains a serious risk to human health via zoonotic transmission, as well as a feasible pandemic threat. Although limited zoonotic cases have resulted from the current epizootic outbre...

🚨📝 New work via @thepandemicinst.bsky.social now preprinted!

We took ~19000 sequences of avian influenza virus and trained machine learning models on >40000 genomic/proteomic features - the resulting ensemble can predict zoonotic potential with AUC=0.95. More below!

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Post-pandemic changes in population immunity have reduced the likelihood of emergence of zoonotic coronaviruses Infections caused by endemic viruses, and the vaccines used to control them, often provide cross-protection against related viruses. This cross-protection has the potential to alter the transmission d...

Happily kicking off my Bluesky account with our new preprint exploring how post-pandemic shifts in immunity have changed the risk of future zoonotic coronavirus emergence.

Check it out here: 🔬📄
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...

Excited to connect and discuss! #Virology #Epidemiology #Science

3y postdoc role available in computational biology! | VIBE Research Lab Work with us in a three year postdoc research role! The role will develop supervised learning and graph analysis methods to understand the evolutionary and genomic links between viruses, the tissues t...

🚨👨🏽‍🔬👩🏿‍🔬𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗱𝗼𝗰 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘁!

Work with us to develop supervised learning and graph analysis of the evolutionary and genomic links between viruses, the tissues they can infect, and the hosts that can be infected.

3y role based at @cvrinfo.bsky.social, apply by 18 Mar:

vibelab.co.uk/blog/25-02-1...

Polymerase mutations underlie adaptation of H5N1 influenza virus to dairy cattle and other mammals. In early 2024, an unprecedented outbreak of H5N1 high pathogenicity avian influenza was detected in dairy cattle in the USA. The epidemic remains uncontrolled, with spillbacks into poultry, wild birds...

Really proud to share our preprint describing early adaptation of H5N1 to US dairy cattle, and showing how these mutations enhance the ability of the virus to infect other mammals, such as pigs and humans.

With @influenzal.bsky.social @vidhid.bsky.social @drclairesmith.bsky.social and many more!

Something I'm very proud of: @viralemergence.bsky.social has spent years now using ML models to figure out which orthopoxviruses could pose a risk to human health (left) and trace them back to their animal hosts (right)

Links:
www.cell.com/patterns/pdf...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Funding is provided via the North West Bio DTP for 4 years, including opportunity for a 3 month professional internship, and international students are welcome to apply!

Project details at: gla.ac.uk/postgraduate...

🔍🦠🦗 𝗣𝗵𝗗 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲!

Work with us, @martashocket.bsky.social and Max Farrell to build information systems and large language models to capture key biological host-pathogen relations from literature - that could control crop pests or conserve biodiversity!