Biography:Alex Sigal
Alex Sigal | |
|---|---|
 Alex Sigal | |
| Born | 1970 |
| Citizenship | Israeli, Canadian |
| Alma mater | BSc, University of Toronto, PhD, Weizmann Institute of Science |
| Known for | Isolation of SARS-CoV-2 Beta variant; establishing ability of Beta and Omicron variants to escape antibody neutralization from previous infections and vaccines. |
| Awards | EMBO Fellow (2007) Human Frontiers Long-Term fellowship (2007) Human Frontiers Career Development Award (2012) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Virology |
| Institutions | Africa Health Research Institute Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology (Berlin) University of KwaZulu-Natal |
| Doctoral advisor | Uri Alon |
| Other academic advisors | David Baltimore |
| Website | https://www.sigallab.net/ |
Alex Sigal is a South Africa–based virologist at the Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI) in Durban, South Africa,[1] Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin,[2] and University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban. His work concentrates on evolution and persistence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. His laboratory was the first to isolate the live B.1.351 (Beta) variant of SARS-CoV-2 first detected in South Africa.[3] Sigal’s laboratory was also the first to report results on the ability of the Omicron variant to escape antibody neutralization in individuals who had two doses of the Pfizer BNT162b2 vaccine as well as from previous infections, with results also suggesting that vaccination combined with a booster or previous infection can offer protection from symptomatic infection with Omicron.[4][5][6]
Education
Sigal earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Toronto, Master's degree from the Weizmann Institute of Science, and PhD in Systems Biology from the Weizmann Institute of Science under the supervision of Uri Alon.[7]
Research interests
Sigal joined the laboratory of David Baltimore in 2007 at Caltech for his postdoctoral work where he worked on problems related to HIV virology. He joined AHRI 2013 in Durban, South Africa as a Max Planck Research Group Leader affiliated with the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin.[2][1] At AHRI he broadened his research to the study of drug-resistant tuberculosis and in 2020 to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Sigal's current core research is directed at understanding SARS-CoV-2 evolution and long term-persistence and its consequences for transmission, immune escape, and long Covid, with particular interest in the effects of co-infections such as HIV and TB, antibody neutralization, and cell-to-cell spread of SARS-CoV-2. In particular, Sigal's work has found that the Beta and Omicron variants can escape antibodies from previous infections and vaccinations [8][9][10] and that antibodies generated from previous infections with the Beta and Omicron variants may offer cross protection against other variants.[11][12] In particular, antibodies from an infection with the Omicron variant appear to protect against infection with the Delta variant.[13][14]
Awards
- EMBO Fellow (2007)
- Human Frontiers Long-Term fellowship (2007)[15]
- Human Frontiers Career Development Award (2013)[16]
Selected publications
- Cele, Sandile; Gazy, Inbal; Jackson, Laurelle; Hwa, Shi-Hsia; Tegally, Houriiyah; Lustig, Gila; Giandhari, Jennifer; Pillay, Sureshnee et al. (2021). "Escape of SARS-CoV-2 501Y.V2 from neutralization by convalescent plasma.". Nature 593 (7857): 142–146. doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03471-w. PMID 33780970.
- Madhi, Shabir A. et al. (2021). "Efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 Covid-19 Vaccine against the B.1.351 Variant". New England Journal of Medicine 384 (20): 1885–1898. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2102214. PMID 33725432.
- Cele, Sandile et al. (December 23, 2021). "Omicron extensively but incompletely escapes Pfizer BNT162b2 neutralization". Nature 602 (7898): 654–656. doi:10.1038/d41586-021-03824-5. PMID 35016196.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Alex Sigal" (in en). https://www.ahri.org/scientist/alex-sigal/.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Systems Infection Biology" (in en). https://www.mpiib-berlin.mpg.de/research/Systems_Infection_Biology.
- ↑ Cele, Sandile; Gazy, Inbal; Jackson, Laurelle; Hwa, Shi-Hsia; Tegally, Houriiyah; Lustig, Gila; Giandhari, Jennifer; Pillay, Sureshnee et al. (2021). "Escape of SARS-CoV-2 501Y.V2 from neutralization by convalescent plasma" (in en). Nature 593 (7857): 142–146. doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03471-w. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 33780970.
- ↑ "Scientist who helped discover Omicron variant warns of its potential: "This is probably the most mutated virus we'd ever seen"" (in en-US). 30 November 2021. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-omicron-variant-mutated-virus-potential/.
- ↑ Mandavilli, Apoorva (2021-11-28). "Will the Vaccines Stop Omicron? Scientists Are Racing to Find Out." (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/28/health/covid-omicron-vaccines-immunity.html.
- ↑ Hinshaw, Jason Douglas and Drew (2021-12-07). "Early Lab Test Shows Omicron Weakening Vaccine Effectiveness" (in en-US). Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. https://www.wsj.com/articles/omicron-expected-to-be-dominant-strain-in-parts-of-europe-within-weeks-11638889781.
- ↑ "People" (in en). https://www.weizmann.ac.il/mcb/UriAlon/people.
- ↑ Callaway, Ewen (2021-01-21). "Fast-spreading COVID variant can elude immune responses" (in en). Nature 589 (7843): 500–501. doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00121-z. PMID 33479534. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00121-z.
- ↑ "COVID strain in South Africa shows huge resistance to antibodies from original virus" (in en-US). 22 January 2021. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/south-africa-covid-strain-resistance-antibodies-coronavirus-vaccine-latest-research/.
- ↑ Cele, Sandile; Jackson, Laurelle; Khoury, David S.; Khan, Khadija; Moyo-Gwete, Thandeka; Tegally, Houriiyah; San, James Emmanuel; Cromer, Deborah et al. (2021-12-23). "Omicron extensively but incompletely escapes Pfizer BNT162b2 neutralization" (in en). Nature 602 (7898): 654–656. doi:10.1038/d41586-021-03824-5. PMID 35016196.
- ↑ Winning, Alexander (2021-03-03). "South African scientists find antibodies from variant may offer cross-protection" (in en). Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-safrica-idUSKCN2AV1SK.
- ↑ "South African scientists find antibodies from variant may offer cross-protection" (in en). 3 March 2021. https://www.breakingnews.ie/world/south-african-scientists-find-antibodies-from-variant-may-offer-cross-protection-1090373.html.
- ↑ Zimmer, Carl (2021-12-28). "Omicron Variant Might Help Defend Against Delta, Lab Study Suggests" (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/28/health/covid-omicron-antibodies-delta.html.
- ↑ "South Africa study suggests Omicron could displace Delta" (in en). Reuters. 2021-12-28. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/safrica-study-suggests-omicron-enhances-neutralizing-immunity-against-delta-2021-12-28/.
- ↑ "Awards | Human Frontier Science Program". https://www.hfsp.org/awardees/awards?field_award_type_target_id=92&field_award_year_target_id%5B%5D=141&field_countries_target_id=&field_nationalities_target_id=CANADA.
- ↑ "Awards | Human Frontier Science Program". https://www.hfsp.org/awardees/awards?field_award_type_target_id=All&field_award_year_target_id%5B%5D=152&field_countries_target_id=&field_nationalities_target_id=.
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