We speak to Derek Gatherer from the Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences at Lancaster University, UK, to get an overview of the Ebola outbreak. Gatherer is a bioinformaticist whose field of application is the evolution of viruses.
The sequencing of 99 Ebola genomes has not only highlighted the likelihood of viral adaption, but also the high risks for researchers. More than 50 researchers from four countries have collaborated to publish a collection of Ebola genome sequences from the current outbreak in Sierra Leone. But with five co-authors dead after contracting Ebola virus disease (EVD) before the paper was published, it also highlights the devastating human aspect of research into the disease.