links within this page: Aïda Ouangraoua | Chandra Verma | Anne von Gottberg
Aïda Ouangraoua
Professor, Canada Research Chair in Computational and Biological Complexity
Deputy Director of graduate studies
Department of Computer Science
Université de Sherbrooke
Canada
Aïda earned her Ph.D. in Computer Science in 2007 from University of Bordeaux (FR) where she also received her Master’s degree in Computer Science, and a Master's degree in Computer Engineering from ENSEIRB-MATMECA in 2004. After a postdoc at Simon Fraser University and Université du Québec à Montréal (CA), she joined INRIA Lille (FR) as researcher in 2009, and then Université de Sherbrooke (CA) in 2014. She is currently full professor at Université de Sherbrooke where she holds the Canada Research Chair in Computational and Biological Complexity. Her research group focuses on the development of models and algorithms in comparative genomics to understand the intertwined evolution of genomes, genes and RNA transcripts. Aïda is also actively engaged in community service, including currently as associate editor for Bioinformatics Advances, Journal of Computational Biology, and Molecular Biology and Evolution. She also regularly serves as PC member, and she has served as Organization, PC and Area Chairs in top conferences of her field — RECOMB-CG, GLBIO, and ISMB.
Chandra Verma
Head Of Division
Senior Principal Investigator
Bioinformatics Institute (BII)
Singapore
Chandra Verma is a Senior Principal Investigator with more than 30 years of experience in applying physics-based models to understanding structure-dynamics-function relationships in biomolecules. His group has pioneered stapled peptide designs and have generated several new molecules (small molecules and peptides) of therapeutic interest that have resulted in multiple TDs/patents. Together with colleagues at A*STAR, he has spun out Sinopsee Therapeutics to advance small molecules as potential therapeutics.
Anne von Gottberg
Co-head of the Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis
National Institute for Communicable Diseases
Associate Professor, School of Pathology, Faculty of the Health Sciences
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
Anne von Gottberg is currently the laboratory lead at the Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Johannesburg, and Associate Professor within the School of Pathology, Faculty of the Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand (Wits); and Honorary Professor, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town. She leads a laboratory team responsible for reference diagnostics for respiratory and meningitis pathogens nationally and regionally. She is currently a member of several committees and technical advisory groups, and is chairperson of the National Advisory Group for Immunisation (NAGI) in South Africa. Her main interests include surveillance for meningitis and respiratory pathogens, assessing vaccine effectiveness where relevant. Dr von Gottberg obtained her MBBCh and PhD at Wits, and trained for her specialisation in clinical microbiology (FC Path[SA] MICRO) at the NHLS and Wits.
The South African experience of sequencing respiratory and meningitis pathogens: from vaccine-preventable pathogens to antimicrobial resistance to outbreaks
This lecture will cover our experience in sequencing viral and bacterial causes of pneumonia and meningitis from routine surveillance platforms. The lecture will also include outbreak investigations, including South Africa’s recent diphtheria outbreak. Viral infections currently being monitored include influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), keeping in mind the possibility of a potential influenza pandemic, but also maternal vaccines and monoclonal antibody interventions coming to Africa to prevent RSV in infants. In addition, updated data from surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 variants will be presented. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance includes the bacterium pneumococcus (AMR driven by both vaccine-serotype and non-vaccine-serotype lineages), and diphtheria (high-level resistance to first-line antimicrobials [beta-lactams and macrolides] reported recently).
Data will be presented from whole genome sequencing of these pathogens, but focusing on current global and local priorities for each, highlighting important factors to keep in mind before planning sequencing from representative samples of cultures or specimens, to ensuring treatment and clinical outcome metadata are captured for analyses. Quality control of sequence data will be discussed, including the correlation of phenotypic testing results with findings from genomic analyses.