MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (7/15/2026) — A University of Minnesota Medical School research team received a 5-year, $10 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to discover new ways that animals fight virus infections. This has the potential to be translated into novel therapies against emerging viruses in humans.
To fight an infection, all cells use their innate immune systems to detect and respond to viruses. These innate immune defense strategies can vary significantly across animal species. Differences in how species naturally defend themselves against viral infections have major implications for understanding how viruses spread from animals to humans. These differences also affect the health of animal populations, including livestock and other agriculturally important species.
Through collaborations with the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Como Zoo Conservatory and San Diego Zoo, the research team has already built a collection of living cells from over 100 animal species to utilize this innate immune diversity.
“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.
The research will initially focus on arboviruses, which are a group of viruses spread by insects such as mosquitoes and ticks that cause disease in people. One of the viruses that will be studied is West Nile virus. In 2025, Minnesota reported its highest number of human West Nile virus cases and deaths on record. The research will examine how animals naturally respond to West Nile virus and other arboviruses to better understand how these viruses spread and cause disease.
“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). “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.”
This work was supported by UMIID and helps to further its mission of responding to and mitigating emerging infectious disease outbreaks.
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About the University of Minnesota Medical School
The University of Minnesota Medical School is at the forefront of learning and discovery, transforming medical care and educating the next generation of physicians. Our graduates and faculty produce high-impact biomedical research and advance the practice of medicine. We acknowledge that the U of M Medical School is located on traditional, ancestral and contemporary lands of the Dakota and the Ojibwe, and scores of other Indigenous people, and we affirm our commitment to tribal communities and their sovereignty as we seek to improve and strengthen our relations with tribal nations. Learn more at med.umn.edu .