Brown, he developed methods for the production and use of DNA microarrays in molecular biology, and his thesis was a genome-wide expression analysis of the budding yeast S.

[12] In 2002, DeRisi and his research collaborator David Wang developed the ViroChip, a DNA microarray that could be used to rapidly identify viruses in a sample of blood or tissue.

[13][17] Using metagenomic sequencing, DeRisi has identified disease-causing viruses in humans, and in animals ranging from parrots and cockatiels to honeybees and boa constrictors.

[20][21] DeRisi’s lab at UCSF also conducts research to understand the genetics of the malaria-causing pathogen Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of the most deadly form of human malaria.

[23] In 2011, the group determined the function of the apicoplast, a unique organelle in apicomplexans, identifying the target of an anti-malarial drug that was a preclinical candidate.

[26] After joining CZ Biohub, DeRisi established a team of developers to create a cloud-based metagenomic diagnostic platform based on code from his lab at UCSF.

[29] In 2020, early in the COVID-19 pandemic, DeRisi led a team that turned an empty lab space adjacent to the CZ Biohub into a CLIA-certified COVID-19 testing facility in eight days.