'Public Health Lecture Series, Dengue Project'

National Centre for Biological Sciences

invites you to the Webinar on

‘Reimagining Global Virology: One Health Approach for the 21st Century’

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

10:30 AM (IST)

Registration link: https://bit.ly/3fGYKfT

Live Stream:  https://youtube.com/BLiSCIndia

The forthcoming webinar on “One Health” will trace the history of disease virology in this country (Jacob John), define new approaches to catch viruses before they move across species (Jonna Mazet) and set the stage for a potential Indian virome project (Shahid Jameel). We will also get an update on how our infectious disease colleagues in Africa are tackling such major challenges (Thumbi Ndung’u).

Moderators: Prof. Sudhir Krishna, NCBS, TIFR & Dr. Uma Ramakrishnan, NCBS, TIFR.

Host: Professor Sudhir Krishna, NCBS, TIFR.
Co-host- Neha Panwar, Project Assistant and Communication Coordinator, Dengue Project, NCBS, TIFR.

Aim:

The past few decades have seen a trend of increasing zoonotic viruses and emerging infectious diseases due to species breach and cross-species transmission with some resulting in widespread disease including Covid-19, SARS and Ebola.  The ongoing pandemic has brought pressing issues to the forefront and that human health, economic wellbeing and the natural environment are deeply connected. This calls for a collaborative and multi-disciplinary approach with local and global experts to think and build systems using a One health perspective.

All the viruses identified so far are only a small fraction of the virosphere across all forms of life on land, sea and air.

Some of the major questions are:

Where do these viruses exist?

Are they likely to move across species barriers?

Are they likely to cause pandemics?

Are there new techniques like high throughput sequencing combined with computational biology and integration of clinical and veterinary medicine that can help in answering the above questions?

T Jacob John is a celebrated virologist. Pioneered the pulse polio immunization strategies and has been a Fellow, Chairman, member or an advisor to several national committees and international organizations. At present, he is a freelance scientist and the Co-Chair of India Expert Advisory Group (IEAG) on Measles and Rubella Eradication.

Jonna Mazet, is Professor of Epidemiology and Disease Ecology in the One Health Institute at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. She served as the Global Director of PREDICT Project, proof-of-concept for the Global Virome Project. Currently, is the Co-Director of the US Agency for International Development’s One Health Workforce.

Thumbi Ndung’u is the Deputy Director (Science) and a Max Planck Research Group Leader at the Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI) Durban, South Africa. He has several appointments as adjunct Professor/Professor/Chair. He is also the Programme Director of the Sub- Saharan African Network for TB/HIV Research Excellence (SANTHE).

Shahid Jameel is a renowned virologist. Established the virology research group at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB). Currently, the CEO of the DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance and has been appointed as the Director for the Trivedi School of Biosciences, Ashoka University.

Given that all the recent epidemics worldwide are of zoonotic origin, i.e. they have breached species, this issue is of enormous contemporary importance.

To know more: https://www.ncbs.res.in/faculty/sudhir-public-health-lecture-series-national-centre-biological-sciences

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Public Lecture Series, Dengue Project, National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS)
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