Dave O’Connor

Job Description

In close collaboration with Dr. Tom Friedrich and Shelby O’Connor,  we are using our expertise in virology to respond to COVID-19 in Wisconsin. Our lab is sequencing viruses from around the state to understand how variants are spreading through space and time. We are also detecting SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses in air samples from congregate spaces such as schools, hospitals, shelters, and other vulnerable settings. Information on our COVID-19 research including real-time data can be found at http://openresearch.labkey.com.

For more information:

• SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory pathogens are detected in continuous air samples from congregate settings. Medrxiv. PMID: 35378751.
• Revealing fine-scale spatiotemporal differences in SARS-CoV-2 introduction and spread. Nat Comm. PMID: 33144575
• Construction of a new chromosome-scale, long-read reference genome assembly for the Syrian hamster, Mesocricetus auratus. GigaScience. PMID: 35640223
• Viral Sequencing to Investigate Sources of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in US Healthcare Personnel. Clin Infect Dis. PMID: 33857303
• Characteristic and quantifiable COVID-19-like abnormalities in CT- and PET/CT-imaged lungs of SARS-CoV-2-infected crab-eating macaques ( Macaca fascicularis). BioRxiv. PMID: 32511338

Zika virus can cause microcephaly and other fetal abnormalities. We have developed a rhesus macaque model for studying Zika virus during pregnancy and recently showed that African lineage Zika virus frequently causes pregnancy loss. The goal of this model is to define when during pregnancy a woman is at greatest risk of adverse fetal outcomes and test interventions that could prevent or reverse these outcomes.

For more information:

• Fetal loss in pregnant rhesus macaques infected with high-dose African-lineage Zika virus. BioRxiv.
• Early Embryonic Loss Following Intravaginal Zika Virus Challenge in Rhesus Macaques. Front Immunol. PMID: 34079560
• Miscarriage and stillbirth following maternal Zika virus infection in nonhuman primates. Nat Med. PMID: 29967348.
• A rhesus macaque model of Asian-lineage Zika virus infection. Nat Commun. PMC4931337.

Macaque monkeys are widely used in biomedical research. A major research emphasis in our lab is understanding how macaque genetics influence susceptibility and resistance to infectious diseases as well as transplant rejection. We are particularly interested in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), a cluster of genes that bind and present peptides to T cells. We are also characterizing variation in other macaque immune gene families, such as the killer immunoglobulin receptors (KIR) and FC gamma receptors. We are currently using ultra-long Oxford Nanopore sequencing and Pacific Biosciences HiFi sequencing to create exceptionally high quality genomes from Mauritian macaques with restricted genetic diversity.