Prof Dr Sébastien Calvignac-Spencer

Prof Dr Sébastien Calvignac-Spencer
Research Group Leader
+49 3834-3916-300

Sébastien Calvignac-Spencer studied biology at the University of Toulouse and the University of Lyon, where he received his PhD in 2007. He joined the group of Fabian Leendertz at the RKI in 2010 as deputy head. Then, he led a working group focusing on viral evolution. In 2023, he has become the head of the Department of Pathogen Evolution of the Helmholtz Institute for One Health and a professor of Pathogen Evolution at the University of Greifswald.

His research uses evolutionary genomics to investigate the complex origins of human and animal pathogens across vast timescales – from emergent respiratory viruses of the last century such as the 1918 influenza virus to long-standing companions of the human lineage like herpes simplex viruses. He also has a keen interest in exploring technical limits and developing new tools. His work pioneered the use of invertebrates as DNA samplers and, most recently, rekindled interest in ancient formalin-fixed specimens – his lab generated the oldest human-infecting RNA virus genome to date from a 1912 measles case.

Sébastien Calvignac-Spencer is an associate editor with journals from multiple disciplines (Virus Genes, Evolution, Medicine and Public Health, Molecular Ecology and Molecular Ecology Resources) and the current chair of the Polyomaviridae study group of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses.

Publication

Hämmerle M., Guellil M., Trgovec-Greif L., Cheronet O., Sawyer S., Ruiz-Gartzia I., Lizano E., Rymbekova A., Gelabert P., Bernardi P., Han S., Rattei T., Schuenemann V.J., Marques-Bonet T., Guschanski K., Calvignac-Spencer S., ... , Pinhasi R., Kuhlwilm M. (2024)
Screening great ape museum specimens for DNA viruses
Sci.Rep., 14 (1)
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-80780-w HZI-Repositorium PubMed
Düx A., Lwitiho S.E., Ayouba A., Röthemeier C., Merkel K., Weiss S., Thaurignac G., Lander A., Kouadio L., Nowak K., Corman V., Drosten C., Couacy-Hymann E., Krüger D.H., Kurth A., Calvignac-Spencer S., Peeters M., Ntinginya N.E., ... , Leendertz F.H., Mangu C. (2024)
Detection of Bombali Virus in a Mops condylurus Bat in Kyela, Tanzania
Viruses, 16 (8)
DOI: 10.3390/v16081227 HZI-Repositorium PubMed
Gogarten J.F., Düx A., Gräßle T., Lumbu C.P., Markert S., Patrono L.V., Pleh K.A., Singa F.N., Tanga C.T.F., Tombolomako T.B., Couacy-Hymann E., Kouadio L., Ahuka-Mundeke S., Makouloutou-Nzassi P., ... , Calvignac-Spencer S., Leendertz F.H. (2024)
An ounce of prevention is better: Monitoring wildlife health as a tool for pandemic prevention
EMBO Rep.
DOI: 10.1038/s44319-024-00156-z HZI-Repositorium PubMed
Hämmerle M., Rymbekova A., Gelabert P., Sawyer S., Cheronet O., Bernardi P., Calvignac-Spencer S., Kuhlwilm M., ... , Guellil M., Pinhasi R. (2024)
Link between Monkeypox Virus Genomes from Museum Specimens and 1965 Zoo Outbreak
Emerging Infectious Diseases, 30 (4)
DOI: 10.3201/eid3004.231546 HZI-Repositorium PubMed
Zemella A., Beer K., Ramm F., Wenzel D., Düx A., Merkel K., Calvignac-Spencer S., Stern D., Dorner M.B., Dorner B.G., Widulin N., Schnalke T., Walter C., Wolbert A., Schmid B.G., ... , Mankertz A., Santibanez S. (2024)
Vaccine-induced neutralizing antibodies bind to the H protein of a historical measles virus
Int.J.Med.Microbiol., 314 (March 2024)
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmm.2024.151607 HZI-Repositorium PubMed
Aghebatrafat A.A., Lauber C., Merkel K., Fruth B., Langergraber K., Robbins M.M., Wittig R.M., ... , Leendertz F.H., Calvignac-Spencer S. (2023)
Evolutionary Insight into the Association between New Jersey Polyomavirus and Humans
Viruses, 15 (11)
DOI: 10.3390/v15112248 HZI-Repositorium PubMed
Danabalan R., Merkel K., Baerholm Schnell I., Arandjelovic M., Boesch C., Brazzola G., Dieguez P., Dupain J., Kambale-Vyalengerera M., Kühl H.S., Hoffmann C., Lapuente J., Ngoc Thinh V., Zimmermann F., Leendertz F.H., Gilbert M.T.P., Roos C., Mazzoni C., ... , Gogarten J.F., Calvignac-Spencer S. (2023)
Mammal mitogenomics from invertebrate-derived DNA
Environ.DNA.
DOI: 10.1002/edn3.436 HZI-Repositorium
Lynggaard C., Calvignac-Spencer S., Chapman C.A., Kalbitzer U., Leendertz F.H., Omeja P.A., Opito E.A., Sarkar D., ... , Bohmann K., Gogarten J.F. (2023)
Vertebrate environmental DNA from leaf swabs
Curr.Biol., 33 (16)
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.06.031 HZI-Repositorium PubMed
Jahan M., Lagostina L., Gräßle T., Couacy-Hymann E., Kouadio L., Kouakou V.K., Krou H.A., Mossoun A.M., Patrono L.V., Pleh K., Steiner J.A., Yves N., Leendertz F.H., ... , Calvignac-Spencer S., Gogarten J.F. (2023)
Fly iDNA suggests strict reliance of the causative agent of sylvatic anthrax on rainforest ecosystems
Environmental DNA
DOI: 10.1002/edn3.401 HZI-Repositorium
Anoh E.A., Wayoro O., Monemo P., Belarbi E., Sachse A., Wilkinson E., San J.E., Leendertz F.H., Diané B., Calvignac-Spencer S., ... , Akoua-Koffi C., Schubert G. (2023)
Subregional origins of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants during the second pandemic wave in Côte d'Ivoire
Virus Genes
DOI: 10.1007/s11262-023-01984-2 HZI-Repositorium
Jahan M., Calvignac-Spencer S., Chapman C.A., Kalbitzer U., Leendertz F.H., Omeja P.A., Sarkar D., ... , Ulrich M., Gogarten J.F. (2023)
The Movement of Pathogen Carrying Flies at the Human-Wildlife Interface
EcoHealth
DOI: 10.1007/s10393-022-01621-8 HZI-Repositorium PubMed
Gogarten J.F., Jahan M., Calvignac-Spencer S., Chapman C.A., Goldberg T.L., ... , Leendertz F.H., Rothman J.M. (2022)
The cost of living in larger primate groups includes higher fly densities
EcoHealth, 19 (2)
DOI: 10.1007/s10393-022-01597-5 HZI-Repositorium PubMed
Patrono L.V., Röthemeier C., Kouadio L., Couacy-Hymann E., Wittig R.M., ... , Calvignac-Spencer S., Leendertz F.H. (2022)
Non-invasive genomics of respiratory pathogens infecting wild great apes using hybridisation capture
Influ.Other Respir.Viruses, 16 (5)
DOI: 10.1111/irv.12984 HZI-Repositorium PubMed
Plenderleith L.J., Liu W., Li Y., Loy D.E., Mollison E., Connell J., Ayouba A., Esteban A., Peeters M., Sanz C.M., Morgan D.B., Wolfe N.D., Ulrich M., Sachse A., Calvignac-Spencer S., Leendertz F.H., Shaw G.M., ... , Hahn B.H., Sharp P.M. (2022)
Zoonotic origin of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium malariae from African apes
Nat.Commun., 13 (1)
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29306-4 HZI-Repositorium PubMed
Hockings K.J., Mubemba B., Avanzi C., Pleh K., Düx A., Bersacola E., Bessa J., Ramon M., Metzger S., Patrono L.V., Jaffe J.E., Benjak A., Bonneaud C., Busso P., Couacy-Hymann E., Gado M., Gagneux S., Johnson R.C., Kodio M., Lynton-Jenkins J., Morozova I., Mätz-Rensing K., Regalla A., Said A.R., Schuenemann V.J., Sow S.O., Spencer J.S., Ulrich M., Zoubi H., Cole S.T., Wittig R.M., ... , Calvignac-Spencer S., Leendertz F.H. (2021)
Leprosy in wild chimpanzees
Nature, 598 (7882)
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03968-4 HZI-Repositorium PubMed

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