Research Grants
Current Support
NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases R01 Grant, “Tolerance and resistance responses of African bats to viral antigens: Immunological tradeoffs in zoonotic reservoir hosts,” $2,990,000, Co-PI with Dr. DeeAnn Reeder (Bucknell University) and Imran Ejotre (Muni University, Uganda), 2021-2026.
This project will contribute to our understanding of why bats in Africa can serve as hosts for diseases that can spill over to humans. We will learn what physiological properties of bats allow them to carry viruses without getting sick themselves. In the long term, this project will lead to applications to prevent the spillover of infections like Ebola and coronavirus to humans.
NSF Division of Integrated Organismal Systems, “RAPID: Immune Responses to CoV Infections in African and North American Bats,” $200,000, PI with Co-PI Dr. DeeAnn Reeder (Bucknell University), 2020-2023.
The purpose of this study is to identify immune mechanisms associated with tolerance of Coronavirus (CoV) infections in bats. Gaining information on bat responses to CoV infections will shed light on the mechanisms of effective immune control.
Previous Support
NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases R21 Grant, “Transcriptomics of immunity and disease in African Fruit Bats- important zoonotic reservoirs,” $354,000, Co-PI with Dr. DeeAnn Reeder (Bucknell University), 2016-2019.
US Fish and Wildlife Service Grant, “Physiological changes in remnant bat populations in WNS-affected areas,” $349,000, Co-PI with Dr. DeeAnn Reeder (Bucknell University), 2014-2016.
Research Grant, Woodtiger Fund, “Molecular and Ecological Approaches to Understanding White-Nose Syndrome in Bats,” $50,000, Key Personnel with PI Dr. DeeAnn Reeder (Bucknell University)
US Fish and Wildlife Service Grant, “Understanding WNS Survivors: Exploring Resilience and Resistance to Variable Levels of Geomyces destructans Exposure in the Context of Mitigation and Conservation,”$290,000, Co-PI with PI Dr. DeeAnn Reeder (Bucknell University), 2012-2014.
NIH R15 Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) Grant, “Farnesyl-transferase Inhibitors: Cancer and Immunity,” $220,000, PI, 2009-2013.