Nextstrain is a collaboration between researchers in Seattle, United States[1] and Basel, Switzerland[2] which provides a collection of open-source tools for visualising the genetics behind the spread of viral outbreaks.[3]
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| Formation | 2015 |
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| Location |
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| Fields | |
Key people |
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| Award(s) |
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| Website | https://nextstrain.org |
Its aim is to support public health measures and surveillance by facilitating understanding of the spread and evolution of pathogens. The Nextstrain platform was begun in 2015.[2] Code developed by Nextstrain is made publicly available, via, for example github.com and its data is available and viewable in accessible form via the pages at the website.[4]
Applications
According to their website, the Nextstrain team maintains an up-to-date genomic analysis of each of the following pathogens:[5]
- Avian influenza
- Dengue
- Enterovirus D68
- Measles
- Monkeypox virus
- Mumps
- SARS-CoV-2
- Seasonal influenza
- Tuberculosis
- West Nile virus
- West African Ebola 2013-16
- Zika
Covid-19 pandemic
Nextstrain and its results have been widely quoted during the COVID-19 pandemic.[6][7][unreliable source?][8][9]
Award
In May 2020, Nextstrain and Trevor Bedford (Associate professor, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)[10] received a Webby Special Achievement Award for the web tool.[11]
