Frontiers in Comparative Systems Virology Symposium

Event Overview

Over the past decades, the study of virus-host interactions has uncovered essential mechanisms of viral replication and cellular defenses, informing strategies to diagnose, prevent, and treat viral diseases. Historically, these studies have focused on specific viruses or families, leaving gaps in understanding how infection by different viruses in different cell types compare. The growing field of Comparative Systems Virology aims to bridge this gap by comparing and contrasting the dynamics of various viral and host responses across diverse infections. Accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the field is rapidly advancing through integrative multiomic approaches, innovative technologies, and integrated data analysis.

The “Frontiers in Comparative Systems Virology Symposium” will provide a platform to showcase recent advances from leaders in the field, fostering discussions on cutting-edge strategies for studying virus-host interactions at multiple scales—within infected cells, between infected cells, and at the organismal level. We will focus on the use of multiomic approaches in virology, innovative technologies, and data integration in the context of diverse viral infections across various cell types and tissues.

This forum aims to spark new insights, foster collaborations, and inspire innovative ideas by building a community that shares resources and information to accelerate discoveries. We will also showcase the latest comparative virology initiatives from Chan Zuckerberg Biohub San Francisco, highlighting our efforts to advance the field. This event is designed to promote connections and establish partnerships that will drive future research.

Be part of this exciting gathering to shape the future of Comparative Systems Virology!

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Keynote Speakers

Artem Babaian, Ph.D.

Artem Babaian is a University of Toronto Assistant Professor in Molecular Genetics and The Donnelly Centre where he leads “The Laboratory for RNA-Based Lifeforms.” His lab focuses on the discovery and biodiversity of Earth’s RNA viruses using state-of-the-art computational approaches. As an independent postdoctoral researcher, Babaian initiated the Serratus project, which has catalyzed the discovery of 750,000+ novel RNA virus species, new phyla of viruses, and even new categories of RNA lifeforms. He was awarded a CIHR Banting Fellowship to continue this work at the University of Cambridge before returning to Toronto to start his group in 2022. In 2023, Babaian was recognized as a “Research Symbiont,” a prize for exceptional data-sharing and advancement of the open science, and named a Gairdner Foundation Early Career Investigator.

RNALab.ca

Jesse Bloom, Ph.D.

Jesse Bloom is a professor at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. He established his lab at Fred Hutch in 2011. Prior to that, he earned a B.S. in Biological Chemistry from the University of Chicago (worked with Susan Lindquist), an M.Phil. in Theoretical Chemistry from Cambridge University (with David Wales), a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Caltech (with Frances Arnold), and completed postdoctoral training in Biology at Caltech (with David Baltimore). He is a HHMI-Simons Faculty Scholar (2016), a Pew Scholar (2015), and Searle Scholar (2012), and has been recognized with the Young Investigators in Virology Award, the 2016 Ann Palmenberg Junior Investigator Award from the American Society for Virology, and the ASM’s Merck Irving S. Sigal Memorial Award.

JBloomLab.org

Nels Elde, Ph.D.

Nels Elde is an associate professor of human genetics at the University of Utah, and an HHMI investigator. Born in Minneapolis, he earned a Biology degree from Carleton College (1995) and a Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology from the University of Chicago (2005). After a postdoctoral fellowship at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, he joined the University of Utah faculty in 2011. His accolades include being named a Pew Scholar in Biomedical Sciences, a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Investigator in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Diseases, and a Kavli Foundation Fellow, as well as receiving the NIH Director’s Transformative R01 award and a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellowship.

Cellvolution.org

Lead Organizers

Carolina Arias, Ph.D.

CZ Biohub SF
Arias Group: Virus-Host Interactions

Noam Stern-Ginossar, Ph.D.

Weizmann Institute of Science
Stern-Ginossar Lab

Amy Kistler, Ph.D.

CZ Biohub SF

Scientific Advisors

Program

ALL TIMES IN PACIFIC TIME

Call for Submissions

• Process: You may submit your poster title, authors/affiliations, and an optional abstract as part of the general registration process.
• Deadline: Poster requests may be submitted until general registration closes (see below).
• Eligibility: All participants are invited to present a poster at the event.
• General registration will remain open until Wednesday, August 6 or until capacity is reached and the waitlist is full, whichever comes first. Register early to ensure your participation in the event!
• Poster submissions will be accepted until general registration closes.

Key Dates

• General registration will remain open until Wednesday, August 6 or until capacity is reached and the waitlist is full, whichever comes first. Register early to ensure your participation in the event!
• Poster submissions will be accepted until general registration closes.

Location

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