BII: Predicting the global host-virus network from molecular foundations

病毒涌现研究倡议生物整合研究所（VERENA BII）将整合微生物学、免疫学、生态学、进化和全球变化生物学等领域的数据和生物学理论，致力于统一理解，提高我们预测病毒涌现的能力。2019冠状病毒病大流行凸显了了解新发病毒生态和进化的迫切需要。这些全局动态首先是由病毒及其宿主的遗传密码以及两者在蛋白质和细胞水平上的微观相互作用决定的。然而，生物学家经常难以将这些尺度上的理论联系起来。这项研究工作的核心是一个开放的大数据交换中心，为将人工智能应用于现实世界的问题创造了新的机会。为了培养一套核心的数据流畅性和跨学科研究技能，灯塔学习社区将在宿主-病毒网络跨界科学的每个职业阶段培训参与者，包括100多名早期职业科学家。本科生将通过以课程为基础的“疾病监测基础”的本科生研究经验，了解生物学和数据科学。研究生和博士后将通过一系列生物学整合研讨会深入探索这些方法，包括在华盛顿特区举行的一个新的夏季国会计划。这群新兴学者将使用开源材料，K-12外展和数字媒体来利用公众对COVID-19等新兴疾病的兴趣，提高对关键问题的认识，同时分享基础生物学研究对拯救生命和保护生态系统的重要性。为了确定在行星尺度上控制宿主-病毒动力学的机制和分子生命规则，VERENA BII将利用数据综合、计算创新、现场采样和实验室实验的独特组合来确定宿主-病毒相互作用的分子基础。一项前所未有的对翼手类动物在宿主环境中的比较研究将产生并检验有关蝙蝠耐受致命病毒的免疫适应的假设。与此同时，模型引导的实验将测量无脊椎动物免疫系统的特征，这些特征在蚊子作为虫媒病毒载体的能力中起着最大的作用。总之，这些模型系统将阐明宿主-病毒兼容性的硬编码基础，支持新的机器学习方法来预测生态和进化网络，并预测病毒在气候变化中出现的全球风险。更广泛地说，VERENA BII将扩大其作为宿主-病毒相互作用、实验病毒学和野生动物疾病监测的开放数据、软件和网络基础设施中心的现有作用。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The Viral Emergence Research Initiative Biology Integration Institute (VERENA BII) will integrate data and biological theory across the fields of microbiology, immunology, ecology, evolution, and global change biology, working towards a unified understanding that improves our ability to predict viral emergence. The COVID-19 pandemic highlights a pressing need to understand the ecology and evolution of emerging viruses. These global dynamics are determined first and foremost by the genetic code of both viruses and their hosts, and by microscopic interactions between the two at the level of proteins and cells. However, biologists frequently struggle to connect theory across these scales. At the heart of this research effort is an open clearinghouse of big data, creating new opportunities to apply artificial intelligence to real-world problems. To foster a core set of data fluency and interdisciplinary research skills, the Lighthouse Learning Community will train participants at every career stage in the boundary-spanning science of the host-virus network, including more than 100 early career scientists. Undergraduates will be introduced to both biology and data science through a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience in “The Fundamentals of Disease Surveillance,” while graduate students and postdoctoral fellows will explore these methods deeper through a biology integration workshop series, including a new Summer in the Capitol program in Washington, D.C. This cohort of emerging scholars will use open source materials, K-12 outreach, and digital media to harness public interest in emerging diseases like COVID-19, raising awareness about key issues while sharing the importance of basic biological research to save lives and protect ecosystems.To identify the mechanistic and molecular Rules of Life that govern host-virus dynamics at planetary scales, the VERENA BII will leverage a unique mix of data synthesis, computational innovation, field sampling, and laboratory experiments to identify the molecular underpinnings of host-virus interactions. An unprecedented comparative study of the chiropteran within-host environment will generate and test hypotheses about the immunological adaptations that allow bats to tolerate deadly viruses. In parallel, model-guided experiments will measure the features of the invertebrate immune system that play the greatest role in mosquitoes’ competence as arboviral vectors. Together, these model systems will illuminate the hard-coded basis of host-virus compatibility, supporting new machine learning methods to predict ecological and evolutionary networks and anticipate global risks of viral emergence in a changing climate. More broadly, the VERENA BII will expand an existing role as a hub of open data, software, and cyberinfrastructure for host-virus interactions, experimental virology, and wildlife disease surveillance.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.