Judith Breuer FMedSci is a British virologist who is professor of virology and director of the Pathogen Genomics Unit at University College London.
[1] Breuer demonstrated a methodology that enables the recovery of low copy viral DNA from clinical samples, which can then be used for whole genome sequencing.
[6] Using phylogenetic trees Breuer showed that the pandemic strains of norovirus exist in the population long before the virus spreads around the world.
[1] She demonstrated that the diversity of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) in clinical samples is not caused by frequent mutation, as was previously thought, but instead due to multi-strain infection.
[12] To achieve this, Breuer is involved with the design of new diagnostic tools, comprehensive randomized controlled trials and clinical management mechanisms.
[11] In 2020 Breuer was appointed the London lead of a national response effort to sequence the genome and map the spread of the novel coronavirus disease.