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University of Pittsburgh receives $4 million for mosquito-borne virus research
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Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Center for Vaccine Research have received federal funding of nearly $4 million toward the study and prevention of mosquito-borne viruses, according to a press release.
Five awarded grants will be portioned between William Klimstra, PhD, and Kate D. Ryman, PhD, both at the Center for Vaccine Research (CVR). The funding will support research examining Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV), eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV), western equine encephalitis virus (WEEV) and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV).
“While the number of people who get these diseases is relatively small, the severity of disease and their potential emergence in larger populations or for use as bioweapons drive the necessity for development of countermeasures,” Klimstra said in the release.
Two grants from the NIH totaling $847,000 will go toward Klimstra’s work concerning genetic examination of and vaccine development for EEEV, while another $1.2 million grant will support development of a novel vaccine against three strains of mosquito-borne alphavirus.
Department of Defense grants for $1 million and $725,000 to Ryman will fund research on the entry of EEEV, WEEV, VEEV and RVFV into the brain and the examination of human VEEV antibodies developed in genetically modified cows.
Many of the grants have options that could allow for an additional $3 million in funding, according to the release.
“The technologies used in these studies and the systematic manner in which vaccines and therapeutics for the alphaviruses are being developed are novel and, given positive results, these approaches can be readily applied to other emerging infectious diseases,” Ryman said in the release.