Viruses are ubiquitously found in all explored environments on Earth and seem to be one of the most abundant biological entities. It is estimated that virus particles in the ocean at any given time can stretch longer than the nearest 60 galaxies if stretched from end to end. While viruses play vital roles in maintaining our Earth's atmosphere and in the evolution of life forms, they cause severe diseases to humans and plants.  

 

Our laboratory studies viruses that infect small fruit crops (e.g., Blueberries), fruit trees (e.g., cherries), and grapevines to develop diagnostics tools, antiviral strategies for crop treatments, and improved varieties of crops in the wake of climate change. We use genetics, genomics, biochemistry, bioinformatics, computational tools and synthetic biology approaches.