Delivering on the promise of precision medicine.
Bringing together expertise in genomics, neuroscience and computational biology, the UCSF Center for Next-Gen Precision Diagnostics is rooted in the discoveries and innovations of its founders.
Founding Labs
Joe DeRisi, PhD
Professor, Biochemistry and Biophysics
Co-President, Chan Zuckerberg Biohub
Lab Website | DeRisi UCSF Profile | Publications
Since 2001, the DeRisi Lab has been at the forefront of the latest in genomic technology and bioinformatics to identify unusual and novel infectious diseases in humans and animals. Ranging from SARS, malaria, zika, and challenging to diagnose conditions in humans to novel viruses in birds, snakes, bees, even insects, the DeRisi Lab has established itself as a leader in the field of genomics and infectious disease.
Charles Chiu, MD, PhD
Director, Viral Diagnostics & Discovery Center
Assistant Director, UCSF Clinical Microbiology Lab
Professor, Laboratory Medicine
Lab Website | Chiu UCSF Profile | Publications
The Chiu Lab has made numerous discoveries of emerging viral pathogens and has pioneered new methods in applying bioinformatics and cutting-edge genomic technologies for clinical and public health applications. Chiu leads the infectious disease project for the California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine at UCSF, making mNGS for pathogen detection clinically available for the first time.
Michael Wilson, MD
Associate Professor, Neurology
Lab Website | Wilson UCSF Profile | Publications
The Wilson Lab is focused on translational research for patients with a variety of neuroinflammatory diseases ranging from multiple sclerosis to autoimmune and infectious causes of acute meningitis and encephalitis. The lab utilizes multiple genomic and proteomic technologies to identify underlying etiologies for these poorly understood and often devastating conditions.
Sam Pleasure, MD, PhD
Professor, Neurology
Pleasure UCSF Profile | Publications
The Pleasure Lab focuses on how neural diversity relates to function and connectivity in the central nervous system. They are interested in the pathophysiology of antibody-mediated autoimmune brain diseases where specific antibodies lead to dysfunction in neural circuits. They are screening patient samples for new examples of these conditions and studying how existing antibody syndromes lead to disease.
Hannah Sample
Program Manager
Sample works closely with the founding research labs as well as the clinical microbiology lab to further both research and clinical discovery. She facilitates the Clinical Microbial Sequencing Board and oversees several research studies. Her goals include engaging patients and families in research decision-making and increasing access to novel diagnostics like mNGS for pathogen detection.
Highlighted Publications & Articles
Clinical Metagenomic Sequencing for Diagnosis of Meningitis and Encephalitis
New England Journal of Medicine, June 2019. See article
Laboratory validation of a clinical metagenomic sequencing assay for pathogen detection in cerebrospinal fluid
Genome Research, April 2019. See article
Clinical Metagenomics
Nature Reviews, March 2019. See article
Clinicopathology Conference: 41-Year-Old Woman with Chronic Relapsing Meningitis
Annals of Neurology, December 2018. See article
Clinical Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing for Pathogen Detection
Annual Reviews, October 2018. See article
Chronic Meningitis Investigated via Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing
JAMA Neurology, 2018 April. See article
Fatal Powassan Encephalitis (Deer Tick Virus, Lineage II) in a Patient With Fever and Orchitis Receiving Rituximab
JAMA Neurology, 2018 March. See article
Diagnosis of Fatal Human Case of St. Louis Encephalitis Virus Infection by Metagenomic Sequencing, California, 2016
Emerging Infectious Diseases, 2017 October. See article
Brain-Invading Tapeworm That Eluded Doctors Spotted by New DNA Test
Scientific American, 2017 June. See article
Hepatitis E virus-associated meningoencephalitis in a lung transplant recipient diagnosed by clinical metagenomic sequencing
Open Forum Infectious Diseases, 2017 June. See article
A Novel Cause of Chronic Viral Meningoencephalitis: Cache Valley Virus
Annals of Neurology, 2017 June. See article
Source code: Putting metagenomics to the test in the clinic
Nature Medicine, 2017 June. See article
Neurobrucellosis: Unexpected Answer From Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing
Journal of Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, 2017 January. See article
Acute West Nile Virus Meningoencephalitis Diagnosed Via Metagenomic Deep Sequencing of Cerebrospinal Fluid in a Renal Transplant Patient
American Journal of Transplantation, 2017 March. See article
Illuminating uveitis: metagenomic deep sequencing identifies common and rare pathogens
Genome Medicine, 2016 August. See article
New Center Will Advance Life-Saving Genome-Based Diagnostic Tools
UCSF.EDU, 2015 August. See article
California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine Announces Funding for 2 Projects
UCSF.EDU, 2015 August. See article
Diagnosis of neuroinvasive astrovirus infection in an immunocompromised adult with encephalitis by unbiased next-generation sequencing
Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2015 March. See article
Diagnosing Balamuthia mandrillaris Encephalitis With Metagenomic Deep Sequencing
Annals of Neurology, 2015 November. See article
A novel outbreak enterovirus D68 strain associated with acute flaccid myelitis cases in the USA (2012–14): a retrospective cohort study
Lancet Infectious Diseases, 2015 March. See article
In a First, Test of DNA Finds Root of Illness
New York Times, 2014 June. See article
Actionable Diagnosis of Neuroleptospirosis by Next-Generation Sequencing
New England Journal of Medicine, 2014 June. See article
A cloud-compatible bioinformatics pipeline for ultra-rapid pathogen identification from next-generation sequencing of clinical samples
Genome Research, 2014 July. See article
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