U of M receives $10M grant to study how animals fight viruses

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Scientists at the University of Minnesota have received a grant to research how animals naturally fight off viral infections.

U of M receives $10 million NIH grant

What we know:

The University of Minnesota Medical School has announced it has secured a five-year, $10 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases aimed at researching how, "different animal species use their innate immune systems to recognize and fight off viruses," a press release says.

Dig deeper:

A press release says a research team will work with the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Como Zoo Conservatory and San Diego Zoo to collect living cells from more than 100 animal species to study the diversity of natural immune responses.

Using diseases such as the West Nile virus, scientists plan to focus on arboviruses, which are viruses spread by insects like mosquitoes and ticks that can cause serious illness in people.

By examining how animals naturally respond to these viruses, researchers hope to better understand how viruses jump from animals to humans, and how they cause infections.

What they're saying:

"This new grant will allow us to utilize this ‘cellular zoo’ to determine how diverse animals recognize and fight virus infections," said Ryan Langlois, PhD, a professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School and the project’s leader, in a press release.

"This research will reveal how natural immune defenses differ across species and how those differences influence whether emerging viruses can spread to humans," said Michael Gale, Jr., chair of the Medical School’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology and director of the University of Minnesota Institute on Infectious Diseases (UMIID) in a statement. "By studying these natural defenses across species, we hope to identify new ways to prevent and treat viral diseases. This work reflects UMIID’s One Health approach, which recognizes that the health of people, animals and our shared environment are closely connected."