CEIF Seminar Series: Discovery of Zophobas morio black wasting virus by cryo-electron microscopy
Presented by Judit Pénzes, PhD
In this CEIF Seminar Spotlight, Judit Pénzes of Rutgers University discusses the limitations of metagenomic-based virus discovery, which relies on sequence homology and struggles with identifying higher-ranking taxa. She proposes an alternative imaging approach using electron microscopy. The example she highlights is a pandemic affecting superworms, the larval form of darkling beetles. Pénzes aims to use cryo-EM and 3D image reconstruction to identify the causative agent of this superworm pandemic, highlighting the potential of imaging techniques in novel virus discovery. (As of February 2025, Judit Pénzes is a Research Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University.)
Find the CEIF Seminar Series Playlist at the CEIF Recordings YouTube Channel.
The Center for Environmental Sustainability through Insect Farming (CEIF) is an NSF Industry-University Cooperative Research Center. CEIF bridges Academia and Industry with foundational, pre-competitive research to drive growth of the Insect Agriculture space.