CURE: Campus Unified Research on Ecosystem's 'Good and Bad' Viruses

Project Team

Faculty Lead: Mark Paul Selda Rivarez, Assistant Professor, Applied Biology Program, Faculty of Land and Food Systems

Staff Lead: Phillip Beck, Head of Soft Landscape, UBC Facilities and Municipal Services 

Co-lead: Siyun Wang Kazun, Professor, Food, Nutrition and Health Program, Faculty of Land and Food Systems

Co-lead: Claire McPhee, Climate Resilience & Biodiversity Applied Research Coordinator, Campus + Community Planning

Graduate Student Researchers: 

• Jessica Wijaya (MSc Plant Science)
• David Dennison (MSc Food Science)

Undergraduate Student Researchers: 

• Elisabetta Relova-Clegg (BSc Applied Animal Biology)
• Kevin Sendra (BSc Combined Major in Biology and Computer Science)

UBC Collaborators: 

• University Neighbours Association
• UBC Farm

Uncovering UBC’s hidden viral ecosystems

The CURE project (Campus Unified Research on Ecosystem's 'Good and Bad' Viruses) addresses a crucial and underexplored dimension in urban ecosystem management: the ultramicroscopic viral community. While macroscopic biodiversity across the University of British Columbia (UBC) is actively cataloged, the campus urban and agri-food virus diversity (or virome) remains substantially uncharacterized. This fundamental knowledge gap poses serious risks, as microclimates created by the ‘urban heat island’ effect and heavy traffic conditions promote the spread of viral diseases and other pathogens in urban vegetation and beyond. Furthermore, asymptomatic ornamental or landscape plants can act as hidden reservoirs for pathogens, creating risks of host jumps or spillovers to economically critical food crops.

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From reactive response to real-time Detection

Without longitudinal pathogen and virome data, urban plant management remains entirely reactive.To overcome this challenge, CURE implements an innovative, data-driven approach that maps viral diversity across UBC Vancouver and the surrounding neighborhood's green spaces, ornamental gardens, ponds, and the UBC Farm. Operating as a collaborative scientific tandem, Faculty Lead Dr. Paul Rivarez utilizes advanced genomics tools, such as the portable Oxford Nanopore MinION device, to deliver real-time, lab and in-field molecular sequencing and pathogen and viral surveillance. In tandem, Dr. Siyun Wang leverages discovery-driven phage biotechnology to isolate, characterize, and validate native bacteriophages from local soil and water samples. These endemic phages specifically target phytopathogens such as Erwinia spp., Pectobacterium spp., and Pseudomonas spp., thereby naturally regulating bacterial populations. Using locally co-evolved native micro-biocontrol agents drastically reduces ecological disturbances and bypasses regulatory hurdles associated with non-native alternatives.

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Protecting campus ecosystems through early detection

The project delivers significant strategic impacts by aligning directly with UBC's Climate Action Plan 2030, Campus Vision 2050 and CleanBC initiatives. By detecting invasive viruses early, CURE protects vital carbon-sink trees and landscape assets from disease-driven removals, reinforcing urban ecosystem resilience, and protecting green spaces that help enhance mental health and well-being for campus dwellers and surrounding neighbourhoods. It also advances sustainable pest management at the UBC Farm by engineering cost-effective, non-chemical biocontrol alternatives to hazardous chemical pesticides. 

From living lab to living Classroom

Beyond its ecological value, CURE transforms the campus, not just into a living lab, but also into a ‘living classroom’ that fosters active student engagement in the APBI 326 (Introductory Plant Pathology) course. Graduate and undergraduate research assistants perform field sampling, diagnostics, and sequencing workflows, preparing them for future leadership roles in the agri-tech sector. Through the partnership with the SEEDS Sustainability Program, the project integrates real-world virome datasets and phage isolation mini-projects directly into the APBI 326 course. Additionally, the project aims to establish an iNaturalist ‘Plant Health Watch’ that trains hundreds of students and community citizen scientists to map disease symptoms across campus. Knowledge sharing extends beyond UBC through the creation of an adaptable ‘CURE Virus Toolkit’ designed to elevate regional public literacy in microbiology and virology. 

Related Publications 

_{Wijaya, J. (2026). Undergraduate Thesis. Viromics analysis uncovers the diversity and distribution of viruses in Rosaceae plants within urban green spaces. UBC Faculty of Land and Food Systems. 57 p.} 

_{Chantapakul, B., Sabaratnam, S., & Wang, S. (2024). Isolation and characterization of bacteriophages for controlling Rhizobium radiobacter – causing stem and crown gall of highbush blueberry. Frontiers in Microbiology, 15.}

_{Rivarez, M. P. S., Pecman, A., Bačnik, K., Maksimović, O., Vučurović, A., Seljak, G., Mehle, N., Gutiérrez-Aguirre, I., Ravnikar, M., & Kutnjak, D. (2023). In-depth study of tomato and weed viromes reveals undiscovered plant virus diversity in an agroecosystem. Microbiome, 11(1), 60.}