Sean Burnap Awarded Wellcome Early Career Award for Research on Filovirus-Host Interactions

Sean Burnap Awarded Wellcome Early Career Award for Research on Filovirus-Host Interactions

We are pleased to announce that Sean Burnap has been awarded the Wellcome Early Career Award for his project titled Exploring Filovirus-host interactions at single cell resolution.

Sean's research addresses challenges in understanding how enveloped viruses, such as Filoviruses, interact with host cells. These viruses are coated with highly glycosylated glycoproteins—commonly referred to as “spikes”—that interact with glycoproteins on host cell surfaces and organelle membranes. Glycans play a dual role in these interactions: they mediate the initial contact between virus and host and also mask viral epitopes under dense “glycan shields” to avoid immune detection.

Traditional structural techniques often struggle to study glycan-mediated interactions due to the flexibility of glycans and the complexity of membrane environments. Sean’s project introduces a new approach to address these challenges by combining metabolic glycoprotein engineering with cross-linking mass spectrometry. This method will map interactions between glycans or glycoproteins and their partners at a single-cell level.

Using advanced timsTOF-based mass spectrometry and single-cell proteomics, the research will track Filovirus-host interactions throughout the viral lifecycle with high resolution. By improving our understanding of these processes, the project aims to provide valuable insights into viral evolution and host adaptation, supporting the development of antiviral and therapeutic strategies.

Congratulations to Sean on receiving this well-deserved recognition!