14 Facts About Isabella Eckerle

Isabella Eckerle is a German virologist who is the co-Head of the Centre for Emerging Viral Diseases at the Geneva University Hospitals and the University of Geneva.

Isabella Eckerle's research considers infectious diseases and the development of cell lines that allow a better understanding of their epidemiology.

Isabella Eckerle decided to specialize in tropical pathogens, and spent her early medical career working in the Department of Tropical Medicine at the University Hospital Heidelberg.

Isabella Eckerle moved to the University of Bonn Institute of Virology, where she worked with Christian Drosten on emerging zoonotic viruses.

Isabella Eckerle created an experimental approach to instantly freeze the organs of specimens, so-called cryo-conservation, allowing her access to cells from a variety of rare species.

Isabella Eckerle visited Ghana and Gabon as part of field work missions to study and collect bat species.

In 2018 Isabella Eckerle was made a Professor at the University of Geneva, where she studies exotic cell lines.

Isabella Eckerle looks to develop cell culture models to better understand the epidemiology of emerging diseases.

Isabella Eckerle has made use of artificial intelligence to generate the cell lines of small mammals from a diverse range of geographical locations, and then allows viruses to replicate in these algorithm-generated cell cultures in controlled laboratory setting.

Isabella Eckerle argued that better epidemiology, pathogenesis and treatment options were essential in the global fight against coronavirus disease.

Isabella Eckerle investigated the different responses of adults and children to coronavirus disease.

In particular, Isabella Eckerle studied the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the upper respiratory tracts of neonates, children and teenagers.

Isabella Eckerle investigated the viral loads of children and adults, and showed that whilst children can have a more mild form of the disease, there was little difference between the number of SARS-CoV-2 particles carried by adults and children.

Isabella Eckerle was awarded funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation to investigate the reaction of the pulmonary epithelium to SARS-CoV-2 infection, in an effort to create diagnostic guidelines that help healthcare workers evaluate whether someone will contract a mild or severe form of disease.