G2P-Japan🇯🇵 gathered in Munich🇩🇪!! Thanks so much Hanna-Mari @baldauflab.bsky.social for your efforts on organizing such a fantastic and successful workshop🍻 I hope this opportunity was beneficial for the future of young virologists. Thanks again, and auf wiedersehen!

A workshop is measured not only by the science, but by the connections it creates. Three inspiring days, outstanding science, and many conversations. Thanks @systemsvirology.bsky.social and everyone who made the RNA Virus Biology Workshop at @lmu.de memorable. Looking forward to new collaborations.

Greatly appreciated. We really enjoyed so much! I hope this leads to fantastic Japan-Germany collaborations in the future🤩

Baldauf_Lab@baldauflab.bsky.social · 4d ago

Bringing scientists together is about more than sharing data. It’s about exchanging ideas, building collaborations & learning from different perspectives. Great to welcome 75 scientists from JPN, DEU, and FRA to @lmu.de for our first RNA Virus Biology Workshop with @systemsvirology.bsky.social (1/2)

🤩

Cell - a Cell Press journal@cp-cell.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Now online! Virological characteristics of SARS-CoV-2-related coronaviruses dynamically circulating in Southeast Asia

BREAKING🔔 The 57th paper from G2P-Japan🇯🇵 is out at Cell @cellcellpress.bsky.social 🦇!! We elucidated the virological characteristics of a new bat coronavirus identified in Thailand🇹🇭 The debut work by G2P-Asia🌏! Please repost🔥 www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

Virological characteristics of SARS-CoV-2-related coronaviruses dynamically circulating in Southeast Asia

A study by the G2P-Asia consortium provides a comprehensive analysis spanning fieldwork, as well as experimental and computational investigations into the biology, evolution, and ecology of novel SARS...

cell.com

Great meeting you in person Aris😁!

Aris Katzourakis@ariskatzourakis.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Fantastic to welcome and hear from @systemsvirology.bsky.social in the @biology.ox.ac.uk, and hear about past and current research into SARS-CoV-2 and other sarbecoviruses. A source of so much insight into these viruses.

Thanks Mahan😁!!

Mahan Ghafari@mghafari.bsky.social · 4mo ago

It was a pleasure to host @systemsvirology.bsky.social at @biology.ox.ac.uk today for a fascinating talk on the origins and phenotypic characteristics of SARS-CoV-2!

Thanks for kindly introducing our recent study😁 I hope you like it🦇

Kristian G. Andersen@kgandersen.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Lab Leakers: "SARS-CoV-2 can't infect bats, so it must have been made in a lab". Science: "Let's do the experiment". SARS-CoV-2 behaves exactly like one would expect in a reservoir species - low-level infection, no overt disease, etc. Elegant study from Sato Lab: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Happy to share my review in Cell Host & Microbe @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social! Wrote about systems virology, G2P-Japan, pandemic preparedness & responsive science in pandemic. It covers about G2P-Japan from its inception to its role in pandemic & my future perspective www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

Systems virology as a cornerstone for pandemic responsiveness: A G2P-Japan perspective

Pandemic preparedness is critical as we face potential threats of infectious diseases. Systems virology and collaborative/responsive science are key infrastructures that facilitated scientific advance...

cell.com

Should be amazing🤩 Thanks Karim for leading this. See you so soon in Montpellier😚

Karim Majzoub@karimaj.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Meet us at Genopolys , Montpellier for a France-Japan virology workshop ! 9-10 october 2025 ! 2 exciting days with many viruses! Co-organized with @systemsvirology.bsky.social Kei Sato and Monsef Benkirane @igmm-montpel.bsky.social @cnrsbiologie.bsky.social @umontpellier.bsky.social

Our new study is out at Frontiers in Virology! We conducted passaging experiments and demonstrated that the spike S2 substitution, P804L, drives the adaptation of BANAL-20–236 to a broad range of Rhinolophus bat ACE2. Congrats Bill🎊! www.frontiersin.org/journals/vir...

Frontiers | The spike S2 substitution, P804L, drives the adaptation of BANAL-20–236 to a broad range of Rhinolophus bat ACE2

Understanding how bat coronaviruses circulate in wildlife, including bats in nature, can help assess the risks of cross-species transmission of potentially p...

frontiersin.org

Great reunion of COVID gangsters in my lab!! Welcome back, Ralph🇺🇸 and Angie🇨🇦😎 Also thanks for coming, Yvonne🇸🇬, Peter🇸🇬 and Daniel🇦🇺🍷🦇‼️

BREAKING🔔 The 53th paper from G2P-Japan🇯🇵 is out at Lancet Infectious Diseases @thelancetinfdis.bsky.social. We elucidated the virological characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 NB.1.8.1. Please repost🔥 www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Virological characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 NB.1.8.1 variant

After the spread of SARS-CoV-2 JN.1, its subvariants, such as KP.3 (JN.1.11.1.3)1 and KP.3.1.1 (JN.1.11.1.3.1.1),2 and XEC (a recombinant lineage of two JN.1 subvariants),3 emerged and rapidly spread ...

thelancet.com

The end of US leadership in science, technology, and innovation. All in one little table. A tremendous gift to China, courtesy of the GOP. nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/files/00-NSF...

PLEASE REPOST🔈 If The University of Tokyo officially accepts the students from Harvard University, our lab would be happy to consider this opportunity💪🏻 Work together with us🔥 Please send DM if you have any interests📩 www.alojapan.com/1283049/univ...

Univ. of Tokyo mulls accepting Harvard foreign students if barred

The University of Tokyo. (Mainichi) TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The University of Tokyo said Monday it is considering temporarily accepting international students from Harvard University if they are affected ...

alojapan.com

BREAKING🔔 The 51st paper from G2P-Japan🇯🇵 is out at Vaccine. We evaluated the antiviral activity of neutralizing antibodies induced by SARS-CoV-2 JN.1 recombinant protein vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. Please repost🔥 1/ www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Antiviral humoral immunity against SARS-CoV-2 omicron JN.1 subvariants induced by JN.1 recombinant protein vaccine

sciencedirect.com

Here is the Sato Lab, 2025😎! 🇨🇳🇯🇵🇨🇳🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵🇰🇷🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵🇨🇳🇬🇷🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵🇹🇭🇨🇭🇹🇭🇯🇵🇯🇵🇹🇭🇯🇵🇯🇵🇵🇭🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵🇮🇩🇯🇵🇨🇳🇨🇳

A new preview article is out at Cell Host & Microbe @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social! We summarized the 3 Cell papers focused on the characteristics of HKU5, a #merbecovirus. Great job Jarel @jarelelgin.bsky.social, Spyros @spyroslytras.bsky.social , and Jumpei!! www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

Beyond MERS: Merbecovirus receptor plasticity calls for emergence preparedness

Three studies recently published in Cell reveal distinct ACE2 binding interactions across the merbecoviruses, uncovering how HKU5 can use ACE2s of many non-human hosts and identifying a novel HKU5 lin...

cell.com

A new preprint is out at @biorxivpreprint! Here we demonstrated that some pangolin coronaviruses are more sensitive to SARS-CoV-2 vaccine sera than SARS-CoV-2 itself, and interestingly, this was determined by only one amino acid residue positioned at 519 in spike🦠 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

All of which are American dreams🇺🇸

What a shame. I am just taking about the possibility for scientific collaboration with US scientists. Why the conspiracy theory people in X simplistically talk about “GOF” experiments? I have never talked about such topics before.

The Sato Lab (Kei Sato)@systemsvirology.bsky.social · last yr.

For US🇺🇸 scientists/virologists🦠 - if you want to find better ways for your science and career, please let me know. Let us find better ways. Please do repost/retweet

Thanks Angie for your flattering😁 Yes let’s make it better together💪🏻

Angie Rasmussen@angierasmussen.bsky.social · last yr.

Can’t say enough good things about @systemsvirology.bsky.social Great scientist, great mentor, great collaborator, world class guy all around. I’d take him up on this offer to find better ways👇🏻

Thanks Niema for kind words. I just hope/wish it would get better, and it would be great if I can do something for it. Let us do it together💪🏻 Science saves the world!!

Niema Moshiri@niema.net · last yr.

Kei Sato is a stellar scientist in Tokyo and an even better person. Hope this helps someone in need of options

For US🇺🇸 scientists/virologists🦠 - if you want to find better ways for your science and career, please let me know. Let us find better ways. Please do repost/retweet

A new preprint is out at biorxiv! Here we performed round-robin pseudovirus experiments using 53 sarbecoviruses🦠 and ACE2s from 17 mammals to elucidate the ACE2 tropism of sarbecoviruses in natural hosts🦇, potential intermediate hosts🦫 and humans👤 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Molecular basis of sarbecovirus evolution and receptor tropism in natural hosts, potential intermediate hosts, and humans

The spike protein of many sarbecoviruses binds to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor and facilitates viral entry. The diversification of the sarbecovirus spike gene and the mammalian ACE2 gene suggests that sarbecoviruses and their hosts have co-evolved, and the genetic diversity in these genes affects the host tropism of sarbecoviruses. Better comprehending the evolutionary potential of sarbecoviruses can lead to preparedness for the next pandemic. However, the host tropism of sarbecoviruses is not fully understood. Here, we performed round-robin pseudovirus infection assays using 53 sarbecoviruses and ACE2s from 17 mammals to elucidate the ACE2 tropism of sarbecoviruses in natural hosts, potential intermediate hosts and humans. We determined the factors responsible for the ACE2 tropism of sarbecoviruses through structural, phylogenetic analyses, and infection experiments, revealing which substitutions can expand the host range of sarbecoviruses. These results highlight the mechanisms modulating host tropism throughout sarbecovirus evolution. ### Competing Interest Statement Spyros Lytras has received consulting fees from EcoHealth Alliance. Jumpei Ito has consulting fees from Moderna Japan Co., Ltd. Kei Sato has consulting fees from Moderna Japan Co., Ltd. and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., and honoraria for lectures from Moderna Japan Co., Ltd. and Shionogi & Co., Ltd. The other authors declare no competing interests. All authors have submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. Conflicts that the editors consider relevant to the content of the manuscript have been disclosed.

biorxiv.org

Here's the latest variant picture with a global scope. The big news this week was the emergence of BA.3.2, a saltation evolving for around 3 years in a chronic case and now transmitting in South Africa. Here’s my thread on BA.3.2: bsky.app/profile/mike... 🧵

Mike Honey@mikehoney.bsky.social · last yr.

The latest example of a potential new variant evolving in a long-term chronic infection has been detected. As Ryan H describes on this thread, it is descended from the BA.3 lineage. #COVID19 #BA_3 🧵

So honored to be introduced in a news feature article in Nature @nature.com with a series of COVID gangsters😎!! www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Four ways COVID changed virology: lessons from the most sequenced virus of all time

After 150,000 articles and 17 million genome sequences, what has science taught us about SARS-CoV-2?

nature.com

BREAKING🔔 The 50th🎉 paper from G2P-Japan🇯🇵 is out at Lancet Infectious Diseases @TheLancetInfDis. We elucidated the virological characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 LP.8.1. Please repost🔥 www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Virological characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 LP.8.1 variant

After the rapid spread of the SARS-CoV-2 JN.1 (BA.2.86.1.1) variant,1 several descendant lineages of JN.1, including KP.2 (JN.1.11.1.2),2 KP.3 (JN.1.11.1.3),2 and KP.3.1.1 (JN.1.11.1.3.1.1),3 have eme...

thelancet.com

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Spyros Lytras@spyroslytras.bsky.social · 2y ago

Ever wondered what Kei's @systemsvirology.bsky.social connection to Glasgow 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳 is? Great to see a story I've heard a few times written in 4 entertaining parts! I even make an appearance in pt. 4! 😁 (Google translate if your Japanese isn't that strong 😅) wpb.shueisha.co.jp/news/technol...

Huge thanks for your participation in #CSHApandemic! I hope you enjoyed the time in the conference in Awaji island as well as your visit in my lab😁

Cheri Sirois@cherisirois.bsky.social · 2y ago

Huge gratitude to @systemsvirology.bsky.social for organizing #CSHApandemic and bringing us all together, and for including @cp-cell.bsky.social in the program. And also for hosting the coolest lab party in Tokyo! 😎🥼🎉