As of March 2020, Weiss serves as Co-Director of the University of Pennsylvania/Penn Medicine Center for Research on Coronavirus and Other Emerging Pathogens.
Reverse genetics helps to understand the function of a gene through the analysis of phenotypic effects of nucleic acid sequences.
[10] This has involved studies of the interferon antagonists that are encoded by the coronavirus, specifically phosphodiesterase, which antagonizes OAS-RNase L (Ribonuclease L) immune pathway.
[10] Weiss has considered the mechanisms by which the phosphodiesterase antagonizes Ribonuclease L. She has studied the role of inflammasome-related cytokines in mouse hepatitis virus-induced disease.
[18][5] In March 2020, Weiss was awarded certification from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to work with the SARS-CoV-2 virus in a BSL 3 laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania.
[6] Work during the SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic includes identification of SARS-CoV-2 in domestic cats,[19] the innate immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection,[20] and critical reviews of scientific evidence for the origin of SARS-CoV-2.