Elodie Ghedin

Professor of Epidemiology

Professional overview

A molecular parasitologist and virologist, Dr. Elodie Ghedin uses genomics tools to explore host-pathogen interactions in filarial worms (which cause River Blindness and Lymphatic Filariasis) and in viral infections. Her laboratory also explores influenza virus diversity in the infected host and the respiratory tract microbiome to understand transmission dynamics.

Dr. Ghedin’s omics-based predictive modeling project aims to predict severe disease outcome of influenza to develop point of care testing, as some people are more prone to severe versus mild influenza infections. Additionally, her Zika research will be used to develop predictive models for Zika disease severity.

In the Ghedin Lab, Dr. Ghedin offers students an opportunity to study genomic characteristics of human parasites and other pathogens. The research is multidisciplinary and draws upon the tools of genomics, molecular virology, and computational biology. Some projects include the study of influenza virus evolution and emergence, the analysis of the microbiome and mycobiome (fungal microbiota) associated with the pathogenesis of lung obstruction and emphysema in HIV patients, and the characterization of endosymbiotic interactions between filarial worms and Wolbachia. Additionally, Dr. Ghedin also collaborates on the GoViral Project.

As biology and diseases are all interrelated, in her Essentials of Public Health Biology class, Dr. Ghedin teaches the importance of having a foundation in human biology in order to work in any area of public health.

Education

BS, Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada

MS, Environmental Sciences, University of Quebec, Montreal, Canada

PhD, Molecular Parasitology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada

Honors and awards

American Academy of Microbiology Fellow (2017)

Kavli Frontiers of Science Fellow (2012)

MacArthur Fellow (2011)

Chancellor’s Distinguished Research Award (2010)

Areas of research and study

Biology

Genomics

Infectious Diseases

Viral Infections

Publications

Publications

Influenza a virus reassortment is strain dependent

Evaluation of determinants of the serological response to the quadrivalent split-inactivated influenza vaccine

Vaccination History, Body Mass Index, Age, and Baseline Gene Expression Predict Influenza Vaccination Outcomes

New proteomic signatures to distinguish between zika and dengue infections

A meta-analysis of Wolbachia transcriptomics reveals a stage-specific Wolbachia transcriptional response shared across different hosts

A rapid and label-free platform for virus capture and identification from clinical samples

Cell-to-cell variation in defective virus expression and effects on host responses during influenza virus infection

Characterization of antibiotic resistance and host-microbiome interactions in the human upper respiratory tract during influenza infection

Crispr-mediated transfection of brugia malayi

Initial mapping of the new york city wastewater virome

Modeling the metabolic interplay between a parasitic worm and its bacterial endosymbiont allows the identification of novel drug targets

Nearly complete genome sequence of Brugia malayi strain FR3

Prediction pipeline for discovery of regulatory motifs associated with brugia Malayi molting

Quantifying between-host transmission in influenza virus infections

Sex chromosome evolution in parasitic nematodes of humans

Age-Related Pathology Associated with H1N1 A/California/07/2009 Influenza Virus Infection

Development and characterization of a reverse-genetics system for influenza D virus

Global phylogeography and ancient evolution of the widespread human gut virus crAssphage

Microbial composition of the human nasopharynx varies according to influenza virus type and vaccination status

Pyruvate produced by Brugia spp. via glycolysis is essential for maintaining the mutualistic association between the parasite and its endosymbiont, Wolbachia

Reply to ‘Reconciling disparate estimates of viral genetic diversity during human influenza infections’

Taxonomy of the order Mononegavirales: second update 2018

Comparison of the nasopharynx microbiome between influenza and non-influenza cases of severe acute respiratory infections: A pilot study

Fungi stabilize connectivity in the lung and skin microbial ecosystems

Measuring associations between the microbiota and repeated measures of continuous clinical variables using a lasso-penalized generalized linear mixed model