Different ways to think about and use information on viral diversity
Information on pathogen diversity can be used to investigate transmission dynamics and predict intervention outcomes. The resolution at which the pathogens can be identified determines the utility of such data in models. However, models can quickly become complicated if every variant has to be explicitly modelled. In this seminar, the speaker will present past and ongoing work looking at how the addition of genetic data improved model inference in two different settings.
Firstly, transmission pathways leading to infant infections were better clarified using whole genome sequences of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Secondly, accounting for drug-resistant strains of HIV, identified via genetic sequencing, has shed light on how much more can be gained by targeted interventions.
Speaker
Dr. Ivy Kombe, University of Oxford.
Dr Ivy Kombe holds a postdoc position at the Pathogen Dynamics Group at the University of Oxford with affiliations to the Virus Epidemiology and Control Research group at KEMRI-WELLCOME Trust Research Programme. Her ongoing work involves looking at the impact of drug-resistance mutations on HIV interventions. Her research interests are in multi-pathogen transmission dynamics and integrating different data types into modelling inference.
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