Award
National Institute of General Medical Sciences 1P20GM162339-01
Interrogating immune response and coronavirus infection in a migratory bat model
Recipient
University of Oklahoma
Award Amount
$210,086.00
Ceiling
$210,086.00
Awarded
May 07, 2026
Identifier
1P20GM162339-01
The award funds research to study how migration stress affects bat immune response and coronavirus infection, combining field studies and mathematical modeling to understand virus spread risks to humans.
Description
This project will test the hypothesis that the physiological stress of migration impairs bat antiviral immunity and facilitates spatial spread of coronaviruses. Field studies will characterize seasonal changes in the bat immune response against RNA viruses using antigen challenge, and mathematical models will integrate data with bat movement to predict when and where bats may spread coronaviruses and thus affect human health risks.