33rd International Dynamics & Evolution of Human Viruses

Session

Within-Host Dynamics & Adaptation

WHDA

May 22, 2026, 9:00 AM

Conveners

Within-Host Dynamics & Adaptation

• Ramon Lorenzo-Redondo
• Bradley Jones (Department of Mathematics, Simon Fraser University)

14. Conflicting evolutionary pressures shape a within-host deletion hotspot in SARS-CoV-2 NSP1 linked to innate immune escape

Isobel Guthrie (University of Oxford)

5/22/26, 9:00 AM

Within-host dynamics & adaptation

Oral

Over the course of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, several divergent variants emerged which carried insertion-deletion mutations (indels), suggesting indels may be crucial in enabling the virus to adapt to changing host environments. However, indels are challenging to study, especially at the within-host level, as the process of sequencing and alignment generation can introduce artefacts. We...

80. A Specialized Virus Microenvironment Sustains Durable HIV/SIV Reservoirs During Therapy

Ramon Lorenzo-Redondo

5/22/26, 9:20 AM

Within-host dynamics & adaptation

Oral

Despite effective antiretroviral therapy (ART), HIV-1 persistence remains the principal barrier to a functional cure, driven by long-lived viral reservoirs whose defining features—particularly within tissues—remain poorly understood. Here, we introduce the Virus Microenvironment (VME) as a conceptual framework to explain how HIV-1 establishes, diversifies, and maintains tissue reservoirs that...

1. Evolutionary indicators of viral social behavior are significant predictors of progression to SAIDS

Brittany Magalis (University of Florida)

5/22/26, 9:40 AM

Within-host dynamics & adaptation

Oral

Background
Growing evidence suggests social interactions within viral populations may influence adaptation and persistence. For example, hepatitis C virus (HCV) is hypothesized to exhibit antigenic cooperation (AC), a kind of altruistic behavior enabling immune escape of specific variant populations. The AC model raises the question as to whether other chronic viral infections can be better...

76. THE ROLE OF PROLONGED INFECTIONS IN THE EMERGENCE OF NOROVIRUS GII.4 VARIANTS

Lambodhar Damodaran (Emory University)

5/22/26, 10:00 AM

Within-host dynamics & adaptation

Oral

Noroviruses are the leading cause of viral gastroenteritis, with most cases arising from genotype GII.4 infection. New GII.4 variants often emerge from long internal branches, a pattern similar to that observed for certain SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, such as Omicron and Alpha. For SARS-CoV-2, diverse phylogenetic evidence suggests that prolonged infections are the source of these variants....