Award
NIH Reporter #5K99GM159248-02
Evolution and mechanisms of pathogen avoidance
Recipient
University of Virginia
Award Amount
$125,000.00
Ceiling
$125,000.00
Awarded
August 28, 2026
Identifier
5K99GM159248-02
The project investigates how innate and learned avoidance behaviors help hosts defend against pathogens, and how these mechanisms evolve and work together. It uses a nematode-bacterial model system to study the genetic, neural, and behavioral basis of pathogen avoidance.
Description
Research examining the evolutionary and mechanistic interplay between innate and learned pathogen avoidance, including their genomic and neural underpinnings, using Caenorhabditis elegans and Serratia marcescens.