About UCSD
UCSD and UCSD Health are rapidly responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers and clinicians are generating new diagnostic capabilities, identifying therapeutic approaches and developing vaccines. Epidemiological studies are underway to understand transmission and limit community spread. For up-to-date information and to learn how you can support these efforts, visit campaign.ucsd.edu/impact/coronavirus/
About the Yeo Lab at UCSD
Gene Yeo is a Professor of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of California, San Diego. The Yeo lab focuses on the regulation of RNA biology, engineering disease models and RNA therapeutics. Gene is affiliated with the UCSD graduate programs in Biomedical Sciences, Bioengineering, Neurosciences and Materials Sciences and Gene is also Co-Director of the Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Graduate Program and Scientific Director of the SCRM Genomics Core. The Yeo lab has previously published on host-virus interactions and is excited to utilize our functional genomics platforms to identify host regulators of COVID-19 permissiveness and develop RNA-targeting efforts.
About the Knight Lab at UCSD
Rob Knight is a Professor of Pediatrics, Bioengineering and Computer Science & Engineering, and Founding Director of the Center for Microbiome Innovation, at the University of California, San Diego. The Knight lab focuses on high-throughput microbiome science, including the Human Microbiome Project, the Earth Microbiome Project, and the American Gut Project (recently expanded internationally into the Microsetta Initiative, which we have already re-tooled to enable RNA sampling and processing). We are applying these techniques both to study the SARS-CoV-2 genome itself and to understand how the microbiome modifies susceptibility to viral infection and response to that infection in COVID-19 disease. We are particularly interested in understanding how modifiable factors such as diet and medications alter the microbiome in ways that can be used to combat COVID-19.
About the Laurent Lab at UCSD
The Laurent laboratory focuses on discovery of biomarkers for pregnancy complications, and has extensive experience with miniaturization and automation of genomic assays. For the SEARCH screening effort, the lab has set up an automated workflow for qRT-PCR to detect COVID-19 RNA, which has a capacity of over 3,000 tests per day.
