Nature article details how the NIH SAVE program helps inform COVID-19 pandemic policy worldwide
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / April 26, 2022 / Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the Chief Medical Advisor to President Joe Biden, praised Prof. Tomer Hertz of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in Israel and his team for their research efforts on SARS-CoV-2 variants in a recent letter.
Prof. Hertz and his students Liel Cohen-Lavi, Sinai Sacharen, Eilay Koren and Anat Burkovitz are a part of the SARS-CoV-2 Assessment of Viral Evolution (SAVE) program at the NIAID, a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Prof. Hertz is also the co-correspondent of a recently published Nature article describing the coordinated efforts of that program and its importance for assessing the implications of SARS-CoV-2 variants to inform public health decisions in the United States.
"My students are part of the early detection group that analyzes the viral sequence data. We have been generating monthly rankings of SARS-CoV-2 variants based on predictions of their escape from antibodies for the group for the last eight months. We are also part of the T-cell working group and have done lots of analysis on T-cell mediated immune pressure on the virus for this project," explains Prof. Hertz.
Doug Seserman, CEO of Americans for Ben-Gurion University (A4BGU), said: "Prof. Hertz's commendation by Dr. Fauci illustrates the leading contributions from Israel - and specifically by BGU's researchers - to our understanding of crucial issues relating to the wellbeing and future of humanity. A4BGU is proud of Prof. Hertz's team for representing the best of what BGU and Israel have to offer."
In the letter, Dr. Fauci expressed his appreciation for "the critical contributions you and your team have made during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Your research has been incredibly important to the fast-paced pandemic response and has supported public health efforts around the world. I recognize that developing the tools and data needed to enable a rapid response to COVID-19 has required a strong work ethic and resilience, and that you have made incredible progress despite many unprecedented obstacles."
Dr. Fauci went on to thank each member of the team and concluded by saying, "You are a leading example for both the infectious disease and broader biomedical research communities, and I am grateful for your unwavering commitment to global public health."
The SAVE program is composed of an international team of scientists with expertise in virology, immunology, vaccinology, structural biology, bioinformatics, viral genetics and evolution.
In the Nature article, Prof. Hertz and his co-authors from around the world detailed the SAVE program's collaborative approach to identify and curate data about emerging variants, their impact on immunity, and effects on vaccine protection using rapid experimental testing and bioinformatic analysis. The comprehensive, real-time data generation facilitated rapid data-sharing with the scientific community, and allowed rapid risk assessment and generation of informed recommendations to policymakers worldwide. The SAVE methodology serves as a template for the response against rapidly evolving pathogens and may also be useful in combating future pandemics.
ABOUT AMERICANS FOR BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY
Americans for Ben-Gurion University plays a vital role in maintaining David Ben-Gurion's vision of an "Oxford in the Negev." By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU's remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.
MEDIA CONTACT:
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SOURCE: Americans for Ben-Gurion University
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