Donald S. Grant

TL;DR: The 1000 Genomes Project set out to provide a comprehensive description of common human genetic variation by applying whole-genome sequencing to a diverse set of individuals from multiple populations, and has reconstructed the genomes of 2,504 individuals from 26 populations using a combination of low-coverage whole-generation sequencing, deep exome sequencing, and dense microarray genotyping.

TL;DR: This West African variant likely diverged from central African lineages around 2004, crossed from Guinea to Sierra Leone in May 2014, and has exhibited sustained human-to-human transmission subsequently, with no evidence of additional zoonotic sources.

TL;DR: If the dearth of genomics research involving Africans persists, the potential health and economic benefits emanating from genomic science may elude an entire continent.

TL;DR: In this paper, a genomic catalog of almost 200 Lassa virus (LASV) sequences from clinical and rodent reservoir samples was generated, showing that whereas the 2013-2015 West African epidemic of Ebola virus disease (EVD) was fueled by human-to-human transmissions, LASV infections mainly result from reservoir-tohuman infections.

TL;DR: Even with ribavirin treatment, there was a high rate of fatalities underscoring the need to develop more effective and/or supplemental treatments for LF, and outreach activities should expand because LF may be more widespread in Sierra Leone than previously recognized.