Outsmarting Viruses: A Profile of Erica Ollmann Saphire
By Madeline McCurry-Schmidt
In Erica Ollmann Saphire’s field, it’s humans versus viruses—and the viruses have a head start.
“These clever little beasts evolve much, much faster than we do,” said Saphire, a professor at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and alumna of the institute’s graduate program. “They are constantly mutating.”
Viruses may be clever, but Saphire is committed to defeating the worst of them, especially hemorrhagic fever viruses.