Ott Lab News

• The sheer scale of COVID’s spread has vastly deepened science’s understanding of the ways that viruses continue to affect the human body long after the initial illness has passed.
• As the years of post-pandemic data have accumulated, scientists have observed correlations between viral infection and the regrowth of previously dormant cancers.
• Researchers caution the evidence is preliminary but say the findings underscore a familiar message for cancer survivors and others at risk: avoid severe viral infections, using vaccines and other reasonable precautions.

The Gladstone Institute of Virology has undergone a significant transformation in both name and scientific mission, emerging as the Gladstone Infectious Disease Institute. This evolution reflects a strategic broadening of research scope from a primary focus on viral pathogens—including HIV, influenza, and SARS-CoV-2—to encompassing a wider array of infectious agents such as bacteria, their interactions, and consequent impacts on global health. This change, led by Melanie Ott, MD, PhD, director of the newly named institute, signals an ambitious commitment to tackle the complex landscape of infectious diseases that threaten human populations worldwide.

SAN FRANCSICO (KGO) — A California resident has tested positive for plague. Health officials believe the person was bitten by an infected flea while camping in the South Lake Tahoe area.

The case is raising eyebrows and making many people wonder.

In this edition of The Naked Scientists, what’s behind a sharp rise in measles cases? We explore the origins of measles virus 2000 years ago, why the agent is regarded as the world’s most infectious virus, how the agent causes disease, how measles vaccines work, and why cases are back on the rise…

H5N1 isn’t going away anytime soon and could become a pandemic. Here are some tips to help you understand your risk.

As a second strain of bird flu has spread to dairy cows, influenza experts tell Newsweek that consumers should not be concerned about drinking pasteurized milk.

We had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Melanie Ott from the Gladstone Institutes, which is partnering with us to host the inaugural Global Health Innovation Summit in February. Melanie Ott’s lab studies viruses that infect humans, and applies the lessons learned to new and emerging viruses. The Ott Lab combines broad expertise—in virology, cell biology, biochemistry, systems biology, and chromatin biology—with a diverse and highly collaborative approach.

Long COVID is no stranger to either patients or those immersed in studies of its effects. In the U.S., one in 7 adults–about 14% of the adult population–has experienced symptoms that lasted three months or longer after first contracting the virus. The worldwide estimate for long COVID is 65 million people.

What is less clear–because it’s still so early in the process–is the impact of some of SARS-CoV-2’s most dangerous characteristics on those hit by long COVID. But some researchers are warily watching for the worst: a potential connection to cancer.

No such connection has been established, and the process of learning whether there is one–and to what extent–will rightfully take years. The experts who spoke with me cautioned that most of what they are considering is hypothetical, and the National Cancer Institute did not respond to multiple interview requests.