GEESE ON CAMPUS AND A VIRUS IN THE WILD: A DEEP DIVE INTO MY EXPERIENCE WITH RESEARCH ON BIRD FLU
RACHEL ALEXANDER
On any given spring day at UNC Charlotte, one can expect to see around ten to twelve geese on average. In fact, these geese have been so central to the campus landscape that the student body has adopted a goose, known to many as Prospector Goose, as an unofficial mascot.
What may be less well-known about geese like our fellow feathered Niners, however, is the fact that many are susceptible to the H5N1 strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). The H5N1 virus is a form of an influenza virus that predominantly affects birds, or avian species. H5N1 is highly contagious for birds and has the potential to infect whole flocks at a time.
This virus, however, is not just limited to avian hosts; it has been found that more mammal species have become susceptible to H5N1, like cows, cats, and dogs, to name a few. This expansion to unrelated hosts, also known as viral promiscuity, is a key focus of the research currently underway in the lab of Dr. Daniel Janies, housed within UNC Charlotte’s Center for Computational Intelligence to Predict Health and Environmental Risks (CIPHER).
As a research assistant in CIPHER, I have been able to contribute to understanding the mechanisms behind this newfound viral promiscuity in H5N1. A portion of the research on this topic is quantifying the extent to which the virus has become promiscuous, which is done by cataloging host species and geography of infections. I synthesized reporting from Canada, Mexico, and the United States from various databases which allowed our team to see all recorded hosts of this virus within North America. Then, we used a combination of evolutionary trees, analyses of natural selection, and protein structure modeling using artificial intelligence (AI) to discover the fact that H5N1 is increasing in its capacity to infect a broader range of hosts,upwards of 250 birds and mammals, including humans.
When it comes to research in this field, time is of the essence—biology waits for none to take its course, particularly viruses, as strains continue to evolve. Technology is an absolute necessity, and findings like the above example from CIPHER would not be possible without the integration of advanced computational techniques and AI systems to keep pace with viral evolution. In fact, the use of AI in bioinformatics research at UNC Charlotte has captivated the attention of various news outlets, including Queen City News.
This summer, I participated in a Queen City News special that spotlighted this topic: the intersection of AI and academics. Alongside a panel of guests from various positions in education, including UNC Charlotte’s very own Dean of the College of Computing and Informatics, Dr. Bojan Cukic, I was able to speak on the various artificial intelligence technologies that have been incorporated into the research in CIPHER, as well as those that I have been using as a student to supplement my learning in my classes.
My experience in research and academics at UNC Charlotte has truly shown me the immense potential within science and technology that can be harnessed for the greater good. I look forward to continuing to grow as a student and hope to continue to make contributions to the promising world of bioinformatics research.
SNext time you come across a flock of geese on campus, I hope your curiosity will be piqued with regards to the scientific intricacies they contain. Perhaps the next findings regarding H5N1 will come from observing the local geese on our campus!