Meet Our Researchers
Alina Chan
Alina Chan is a molecular biologist who specializes in gene therapy and cell engineering. She formerly served as a scientific advisor for the Vector Engineering Group at the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute.
To contribute to global research efforts against the pandemic, Alina launched an open-source website to track the genetic evolution of SARS-CoV-2. The site, called COVID-19 Coronavirus Genetics, aggregated hundreds of thousands of SARS-CoV-2 sequences from researchers around the world to trace the virus’ distinct mutations as it spread across different geographic regions. Researchers freely used this online resource to answer critical questions about the coronavirus, including which genetic variants to test new therapeutics and diagnostics on before implementation in a specific region. Funds from Alina's 2020 BroadIgnite award enabled her to expand the capabilities of the site and incorporate data from hundreds of thousands of new SARS-CoV-2 genomes to capture developing trends during the pandemic.