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  5. Some Perspectives on Data Science and Coronaviruses - 06/09/2022
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Webcast | Virtual

Event Title
Some Perspectives on Data Science and Coronaviruses
June 9, 2022

Date:
June 9, 2022

About the Speaker

Seshadri S. Vasan, DPhil (Oxon)
COVID-19 Science Leader, CSIRO, Australia
Honorary Professor, University of York, UK

Dr. Seshadri S. Vasan, is a COVID-19 Science Leader for Australia’s science agency CSIRO, and one of the successful applicants for the FDA’s Medical Countermeasures Initiative (MCMi) regulatory science extramural funding. He is based at the secure ‘Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness’ facility in Geelong and was previously at the equivalent British high-containment facility in Porton Down. Prior to that he worked on arboviral diseases as the Head of Public Health for Oxford University’s spin-out Oxitec. He is an Honorary Professor of Health Sciences at the University of York in England, and obtained his doctorate from Trinity College, Oxford, as a Rhodes scholar.

About the Presentation

This lecture will present some perspectives, illustrated with recent COVID-19 experience and examples, on how in silico modelling and data science techniques could strengthen nonclinical (in vitro and animal) models for existing and emerging coronaviral diseases. Four peer-reviewed case studies will be reviewed briefly:

  1. Could alignment-free approaches complement traditional phylogenetic analysis of coronavirus variants?
  2. Why big data on viral genome sequences are less useful without metadata?
  3. Could we predict if certain hosts are likely susceptible to infection by an emerging coronavirus variant?
  4. Can AlphaFold2 artificial intelligence predictions of protein structure aid our understanding of viral antigens?

Learning Objectives

  1. Examine how coronavirology can benefit from alignment free k-mer approach and dimensionality reduction methods.
  2. Explain the potential of big data on GISAID and other platforms by overcoming metadata barriers.
  3. Discuss the value of bringing together in silico, in vitro, in vivo and in situ data on coronavirus mutations to predict susceptibility of target hosts.
  4. Discuss the benefits and current limitations of novel AI tools such as AlphaFold2 in coronaviral protein structure prediction and countermeasure development.

To Register

Webcast Recording

Event Materials

Title File Type/Size
Activity Outline FDA Grand Rounds: June 9, 2022 pdf (149.81 KB)
 
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