Some Perspectives on Data Science and Coronaviruses
 An image of a scientist holding a test tube.
Thursday, June 9, 2022
9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. EST
Zoom Webcast
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:
- Could alignment-free approaches complement traditional phylogenetic analysis of coronavirus variants?
- Why big data on viral genome sequences are less useful without metadata?
- Could we predict if certain hosts are likely susceptible to infection by an emerging coronavirus variant?
- Can AlphaFold2 artificial intelligence predictions of protein structure aid our understanding of viral antigens?
To Register
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Webcast Registration *All participants MUST register for webcast to view FDA Grand Rounds!
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LMS Registration *FDA Employees only.
FDA employees must register in both LMS and Webcast.
After Webcast registration, you will receive a link via email to access the live webinar. You must log in with the username and password created when you registered. Please pre-register at least two days before the event to ensure you receive the access link and outlook invitation for the session.
For more information on this event visit www.FDA.gov/GrandRounds
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