Charlotte Acharya

Lab member

2018-present

Education

2009 M.S. Natural Resources Cornell University

Research Topic

Monitoring variants of Lettuce Downy Mildew (Bremia lactucae) and SARS-CoV-2. Marker development and species clarification for tropical downy mildew (Peronosclerospora philippinesis).

Research Summary

I am a molecular biologist with an interest in plants, populations, and genetics; specializing in high throughput genotyping and data generation.

When the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic started, I temporarily stopped work on plant pathogens and helped create the UC Davis high-throughput SARS-CoV-2 detection test using saliva. Starting in January 2021, my research shifted to leading a team that rapidly genotypes SARS-CoV-2 samples for variant detection. We routinely genotype all positive samples identified at the Genome Center within 3-4 days and disseminate this information to county and state health agencies.

I also continue to be the lead for the Michelmore Lab's on-going surveillance project with lettuce downy mildew (Bremia lactucae), an important foliar disease of lettuce. B. lactucae is continually evolving to evade the resistance genes in commercial lettuce varieties and the fungicides used to control it. Every year we collect and monitor this pathogen to allow for more informed lettuce breeding and application of disease control measures. Please contact me if you would like to contribute samples to this project.

Additionally, I am developing markers to identify a USDA Plant Pathogen Select Agent, the tropical downy mildew (Peronosclerospora philippinensis), most commonly found on sugarcane and maize. Along with Frank Martin at the USDA, we are researching the genetics of Peronosclerospora philippinensis (and its closely related species) and developing molecular markers for rapid detection of this pathogen on plant material arriving in the U.S.

Key Publications

Acharya CB, Schrom J, Mitchell AM, Coil DA, Marquez C, Rojas S, Wang CY, Liu J, Pilarowski G, Solis L, Georgian E, Petersen M, DeRisi J, Michelmore R, Havlir D. (In Press). No significant difference in viral load between vaccinated and unvaccinated, asymptomatic and symptomatic groups when infected with SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant. Open Forum Infectious Disease.