Phylodynamics: a virus profiler

An article published in Le Monde on April 22 tells us more about a recent but particularly valuable discipline in Covid-19 research: phylodynamics. Samuel Alizon, a researcher at the University of Montpellier, is one of its key figures.

"The idea behind phylodynamics is that the way in which viruses propagate leaves traces in their genome", explains Samuel Alizon, a researcher at the University of Montpellier's Maladies infectieuses et vecteurs écologie, génétique, évolution et contrôle(Mivegec) laboratory, in an article entitled "La Phylodynamique l'autre traque du coronavirus" published in Le Monde on April 22. In minute traces, then, that the community of experts in phylodynamics is tracking down by analyzing the thousands of DNA sequences of the virus now available.

Our aim? To answer the countless questions raised by this pandemic. Where does this virus come from? When did it infect humans? How fast is it spreading? How many people are potentially affected? The Montpellier researcher is analyzing these questions with the help of mathematicians at Lirmm and, more specifically, the PhyML software developed by Vincent Guindon (read: PhyML, a Montpellier software program for tracing the Covid-19 epidemic).

A fascinating and precise article in Le Monde, in which scientists of international repute help us to better understand the interest of this discipline that didn't even exist 20 years ago. We also take a look at the precautions that need to be taken when analyzing data from this highly subtle science.