At the Andersen Lab at Scripps Research we try to understand questions such as: how do viruses emerge, spread, evolve, and go from causing small-scale outbreaks to large-scale epidemics? How can we diagnose them better and discover novel ones? How do they develop resistance to countermeasures and what molecular and immunological factors govern the underlying mechanisms? Critically, by addressing these questions, can we develop new and effective vaccines and medicines, while informing outbreak responses? The research in our laboratory is aimed at tackling these questions using an integrated approach of computation, experimentation, genomics, and large-scale data analysis. We also more broadly employ quantitative approaches across scientific disciplines, ranging from microbiology to human immunology and genetics.
The Andersen Laboratory was established at Scripps Research in the summer of 2015 in beautiful La Jolla, California. We are strong proponents of open data and open science, and we are big believers in collaborating across scientific disciplines. To this end, we are actively engaged in several of our research initiatives, including the Global Health Initiative at Scripps Research, the Center for Viral Systems Biology, the Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Consortium, the West African Research Network for Infectious Diseases, and the WestNile 4K Project.
Ready to learn more about the lab? Check out the people working here, our research, publications, and data.
COVID-19 / SARS-CoV-2 Resources
To gain insights into the emergence, spread, transmission, and evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are working with a large number of public health agencies, hospitals, biotechs, and academic partners. With funding from the CDC and NIH, we are sequencing hundreds of samples a week and all the data are made publicly available.
In response to the emergence of new variants of SARS-CoV-2, we have made several visualization tools to make the genomic data more useful to the public, scientists, and outbreak responders.
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CViSB Center renewed with $12.8 million grant
Scientists at Scripps Research have received a significant grant to study the evolution and outcomes of human infections with SARS-CoV-2, Lassa virus and Ebola virus. The team will receive roughly $2.5 million each year for a maximum of five years, bringing the total potential award to $12.8 million. The funds—a grant renewal from the the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH)…
Fact Check – There is No “Fauci Coverup”
An in-depth Fact Check performed by researchers at FactCheck.org investigated the conspiracy theory put forward by several individuals, including politicians, that Dr. Anthony Fauci gave scientists, including Dr. Andersen, grants worth $9 million to alter the scientific narrative on how the COVID-19 pandemic started. As outlined in this Fact Check, such allegations are unfounded and, in fact, impossible given well-known…
Two new papers demonstrate use of Outbreak.info as one-stop online source for COVID data
While COVID-19 may be transitioning from a “pandemic” to an “endemic” phase, it remains critically important to continue tracking the virus in real-time. In two new papers published in Nature Methods on Feb. 23, 2023, scientists at Scripps Research demonstrate the use of Outbreak.info as a standardized, searchable source of information on the COVID-19 virus and its many variants. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began,…