Darren Smith

The paper reprocesses SARS-CoV-2 genomic data to correct systematic errors in phylogenies using a novel assembly tool, resulting in a cleaner global tree of 4.47 million samples.

This study identifies and characterizes the PglZ:BrxB sub-complex of BREX phage defence systems, revealing PglZ as a metal-dependent nuclease that contributes to phage defence.

The paper characterizes the BREX system in Salmonella, determines the structure of PglX, and shows how rational engineering expands phage targeting and host motif methylation.

This study adjusts for sampling bias in SARS-CoV-2 Ct values and finds that viral variant and age affect within-host viral burdens, with variant effects varying by vaccination status.

The paper shows that B.1.1.7 SARS-CoV-2 lineage has increased subgenomic RNA expression compared to other lineages, with a noncanonical sgRNA near ORF9b showing a 16-fold increase in median expression.