To elucidate the virological characteristics of newly emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants in real-time, I launched a consortium, “The Genotype to Phenotype Japan (G2P-Japan)”. With the G2P-Japan consortium colleagues, we have revealed the virological characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 variants. In this talk, I briefly introduce the scientific activity of G2P-Japan consortium and our current study focusing on the dynamics of coronavirus infection and spread in Asian countries in the wild. I would like to discuss the possibility for international collaboration to prepare for the outbreaks and pandemic that will happen in the future.
Bio Sketch:
Dr. Kei Sato is a professor in the Institute of Medical Science, the University of Tokyo, Japan. In March 2010, he got a Ph.D. (Medicine) in Institute for Virus Research, Kyoto University, Japan. In April 2018, he started his own laboratory as a principal investigator in the Institute of Medical Science, the University of Tokyo, Japan. His laboratory is named “Systems Virology”, and the aim of his laboratory is to expand and deepen the knowledge and method in virology. To investigate the dynamics of virus infections such as HIV and emerging viruses including SARS-CoV-2, he uses a variety of multiscale analytic techniques, such as experimental virology, bioinformatics and molecular phylogenetic. Such interdisciplinary investigations through experimental virology and other sciences will pioneer a new scientific field of infectious diseases. In January 2021, he launched a consortium, “The Genotype to Phenotype Japan (G2P-Japan)”. www.ims.u-tokyo.ac.jp/SystemsVirology/eng-index.html