Research Project - DC5

DC5 — Tracking minor variants in avian influenza genome RNA populations to investigate virus evolution under suboptimal vaccination

DC5 develops robust pipelines to detect and quantify minor genetic variants in avian influenza virus populations—critical to spotting immune-escape trajectories early, especially when vaccination is imperfect. The work standardizes sensitive NGS/analytics (with calibration standards), then applies them in controlled “suboptimal vaccination” models (e.g., imperfect match/administration) and in field samples.

By charting within-host and within-farm viral evolution over time, DC5 clarifies how vaccination pressure reshapes RNA variant landscapes before dominant escape emerges. The resulting validated workflows support DC4/DC6/DC7 analyses and provide actionable early-warning capability for surveillance and control.