Biography
Dr Sebastian Maurer-Stroh studied theoretical biochemistry at the University of Vienna and wrote his master’s and Doctor of Philosophy thesis at the Institute of Molecular Pathology. After Federation of European Biochemical Societies and Marie Curie fellowships at the Vlaams Institut voor Biotechnologie-Switch laboratory in Brussels, he has been leading a group of experts in protein sequence analysis as a senior principal investigator in the A*STAR Bioinformatics Institute (BII) since 2007. He is the new Executive Director of BII since January 2021. His protein function analysis skills are supporting A*STAR's efforts at the public-private interface and through computational analysis and modelling his team is critically contributing to national and global viral pathogen surveillance, notably with the GISAID initiative.
Research Focus
Dr Maurer-Stroh’s expertise is in computational sequence and protein structure analysis to predict various aspects of molecular and cellular functions (enzymatic activities, posttranslational modifications, cleavage, translocation signals, 3D structures, effects of mutations, phylogenetic relationships, cellular pathways etc.) for discovering the molecular mechanisms of biological and clinical phenotypes and experimental validation together with collaborators. This repertoire of computational analysis methods is applicable and useful in multiple research areas but my main focus currently is on infectious diseases, allergy, enzyme function and human mutations.
Publications
GISAID's Role in Pandemic Response. Khare S, Gurry C, Freitas L, Schultz MB, Bach G, Diallo A, Akite N, Ho J, Lee RT, Yeo W, Curation Team GC, Maurer-Stroh S. China CDC Wkly. 2021 Dec 3;3(49):1049-1051. doi: 10.46234/ccdcw2021.255.
Clinical and virological features of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern: a retrospective cohort study comparing B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.315 (Beta), and B.1.617.2 (Delta). Ong SWX, Chiew CJ, Ang LW, Mak TM, Cui L, Toh MPHS, Lim YD, Lee PH, Lee TH, Chia PY, Maurer-Stroh S, Lin RTP, Leo YS, Lee VJ, Lye DC, Young BE. Clin Infect Dis. 2021 Aug 23:ciab721. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciab721. Online ahead of print.
SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Interest and Concern naming scheme conducive for global discourse. Konings F, Perkins MD, Kuhn JH, Pallen MJ, Alm EJ, Archer BN, Barakat A, Bedford T, Bhiman JN, Caly L, Carter LL, Cullinane A, de Oliveira T, Druce J, El Masry I, Evans R, Gao GF, Gorbalenya AE, Hamblion E, Herring BL, Hodcroft E, Holmes EC, Kakkar M, Khare S, Koopmans MPG, Korber B, Leite J, MacCannell D, Marklewitz M, Maurer-Stroh S, Rico JAM, Munster VJ, Neher R, Munnink BO, Pavlin BI, Peiris M, Poon L, Pybus O, Rambaut A, Resende P, Subissi L, Thiel V, Tong S, van der Werf S, von Gottberg A, Ziebuhr J, Van Kerkhove MD. Nat Microbiol. 2021 Jul;6(7):821-823. doi: 10.1038/s41564-021-00932-w.
Structural insight into SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies and modulation of syncytia. Asarnow D, Wang B, Lee WH, Hu Y, Huang CW, Faust B, Ng PML, Ngoh EZX, Bohn M, Bulkley D, Pizzorno A, Ary B, Tan HC, Lee CY, Minhat RA, Terrier O, Soh MK, Teo FJ, Yeap YYC, Seah SGK, Chan CEZ, Connelly E, Young NJ, Maurer-Stroh S, Renia L, Hanson BJ, Rosa-Calatrava M, Manglik A, Cheng Y, Craik CS, Wang CI. Cell. 2021 Jun 10;184(12):3192-3204.e16. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.04.033.
Association of SARS-CoV-2 clades with clinical, inflammatory and virologic outcomes: An observational study. Young BE, Wei WE, Fong SW, Mak TM, Anderson DE, Chan YH, Pung R, Heng CS, Ang LW, Zheng AKE, Lee B, Kalimuddin S, Pada S, Tambyah PA, Parthasarathy P, Tan SY, Sun L, Smith GJ, Lin RTP, Leo YS, Renia L, Wang LF, Ng LF, Maurer-Stroh S, Lye DC, Lee VJ. EBioMedicine. 2021 Apr;66:103319. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2021.103319.
How the lessons of previous epidemics helped successful countries fight covid-19. Chua AQ, Al Knawy B, Grant B, Legido-Quigley H, Lee WC, Leung GM, Looi MK, Maurer-Stroh S. BMJ. 2021 Mar 11;372:n486. doi: 10.1136/bmj.n486.
Effects of a major deletion in the SARS-CoV-2 genome on the severity of infection and the inflammatory response: an observational cohort study. Young BE, Fong SW, Chan YH, Mak TM, Ang LW, Anderson DE, Lee CY, Amrun SN, Lee B, Goh YS, Su YCF, Wei WE, Kalimuddin S, Chai LYA, Pada S, Tan SY, Sun L, Parthasarathy P, Chen YYC, Barkham T, Lin RTP, Maurer-Stroh S, Leo YS, Wang LF, Renia L, Lee VJ, Smith GJD, Lye DC, Ng LFP. Lancet. 2020 Aug 29;396(10251):603-611. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31757-8.
Geographical and temporal distribution of SARS-CoV-2 clades in the WHO European Region, January to June 2020. Alm E, Broberg EK, Connor T, Hodcroft EB, Komissarov AB, Maurer-Stroh S, Melidou A, Neher RA, O'Toole Á, Pereyaslov D; WHO European Region sequencing laboratories and GISAID EpiCoV group; WHO European Region sequencing laboratories and GISAID EpiCoV group*. Euro Surveill. 2020 Aug;25(32):2001410. doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.32.2001410.
Investigation of three clusters of COVID-19 in Singapore: implications for surveillance and response measures. Pung R, Chiew CJ, Young BE, Chin S, Chen MI, Clapham HE, Cook AR, Maurer-Stroh S, Toh MPHS, Poh C, Low M, Lum J, Koh VTJ, Mak TM, Cui L, Lin RVTP, Heng D, Leo YS, Lye DC, Lee VJM; 2019 Novel Coronavirus Outbreak Research Team. Lancet. 2020 Mar 28;395(10229):1039-1046. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30528-6.
Early transmission patterns of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in travellers from Wuhan to Thailand, January 2020. Okada P, Buathong R, Phuygun S, Thanadachakul T, Parnmen S, Wongboot W, Waicharoen S, Wacharapluesadee S, Uttayamakul S, Vachiraphan A, Chittaganpitch M, Mekha N, Janejai N, Iamsirithaworn S, Lee RT, Maurer-Stroh S. Euro Surveill. 2020 Feb;25(8):2000097.
Individual immune selection pressure has limited impact on seasonal influenza virus evolution Han AX, Maurer-Stroh S, Russell CA. Nat Ecol Evol. 2019 Feb;3(2):302-311. doi: 10.1038/s41559-018-0741-x.
Global update on the susceptibility of human influenza viruses to neuraminidase inhibitors and status of novel antivirals, 2016-2017. Lackenby A, Besselaar TG, Daniels RS, Fry A, Gregory V, Gubareva LV, Huang W, Hurt AC, Leang SK, Lee RTC, Lo J, Lollis L, Maurer-Stroh S, Odagiri T, Pereyaslov D, Takashita E, Wang D, Zhang W, Meijer A. Antiviral Res. 2018 Sep;157:38-46. doi: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2018.07.001..png?sfvrsn=b11c2136_5)
