Special seminar: Inferring pathogen population structure from sequencing data

You are cordially invited to a special seminar of the

Edmond J. Safra Center for Bioinformatics

Jointly with

School of Zoology

Prof. Daniel Weissman

Department of Physics, Emory University

"Inferring pathogen population structure from sequencing data"

Thursday, June 23 2024, at 12:15

(Refreshments from 12:00)

Check Point building, Room 002, Computer Science School, TAU

Abstract: Pathogen populations exhibit structure across a wide range of scales, from within single hosts to globally. I will discuss how we can use sequencing data to learn about this structure and the dynamics underlying it. The intermediate scale of structure between hosts is the best understood: genetic data points to strong "transmission bottlenecks" between viral infections, with implications for pathogen adaptation and public health. At the smaller scale of within-host structure and the larger scale of global structure, much less is known. I will focus on the latter problem, discussing recent progress on patterns of horizontal gene transfer in bacteria and major open problems.

Host: Dr. Yoav Ram, School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, TAU