A New Virus on the Block: SARS-CoV-2 and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Speaker

Carolina Arias
Assistant Professor
UC Santa Barbara

Biography

Dr. Arias earned a PhD degree in Microbiology at New York University (NYU) Sackler Institute for Graduate Biomedical Sciences in 2008, where she studied virus-host interactions in Herpesviruses and Poxviruses. As a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Don Ganem at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and then at the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR), Dr. Arias studied the genome-wide transcriptional and translational regulation of the Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV/HHV8). In January 2016, Dr. Arias joined the laboratory of Dr. Joseph DeRisi at UCSF where she conducted comprehensive drug screens to identify FDA-approved compounds that could be used to curtail Zika virus infection. Dr. Arias joined the UCSB faculty in 2016.

Abstract

The current pandemic of COVID-19 showcases the profound susceptibility of human populations to viruses, and underscores the need for more research in virology. In this lecture, I will present an update on the SARS-CoV-2 and the disease it causes, COVID-19. We will also discuss current progress on the evaluation of potential treatments, vaccine development and strategies for prevention.