The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, recently exercised multiple options totaling more than $7 million to the University of Georgia Center for Influenza Disease and Emergence Research (CIDER) under Contract 75N93019C00018. The latest executed option brings the total federal investment in CIDER’s work to more than $18 million since NIAID’s initial award in 2021.
CIDER is part of a national network of Centers of Excellence in Influenza Research and Response established by the NIAID. CIDER is based at UGA and is led by S. Mark Tompkins, PhD, professor of infectious diseases in the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine.
CIDER’s Director, Mark Tompkins (Andy Tucker/UGA)
Global partners in CIDER’s research are focusing on the Influenza A and B viruses, the most common causes of flu outbreaks in humans. Investigators are working to identify the mutations that occur in the viruses and lead to pandemics and the possibility of transfer from humans to animals. Researchers are also exploring aspects of Avian Influenza in similar studies.
Boston Children’s Hospital, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, The University of Melbourne, the Spanish National Research Council (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas), the University of Michigan, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are among the partners in a multi-institute endeavor to increase understanding of influenza virus emergence and infection in humans and animals. CIDER’s work will better prepare the global healthcare community to combat future outbreaks or pandemics. The most recent tranche of funding included support for UGA to assist the U.S. Food and Drug Administration with ensuring the safety of dairy products during the H5N1 influenza outbreak in dairy cattle.
“One of the strengths of the CIDER network is our ability to rapidly pivot to support federal agencies responding to emerging threats caused by influenza and other viruses. CIDER and the University of Georgia are well-positioned with facilities and expertise to address emerging influenzas and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza viruses, in particular,” Tompkins said
“CIDER has internationally recognized experts working to understand influenza viruses. Our investigators’ work includes understanding infection and vaccine efficacy in children, pregnant women and other at-risk populations, deepening our understanding of influenza biology and causes of severe disease, and developing predictive tools to inform vaccine strain selection and pandemic risk assessment. Together the CIDER team is advancing our understanding of influenza viruses and infection to better predict, treat, and prevent infection and disease in people and animals.”
CIDER is taking a multi-disciplinary approach to influenza research, bringing together faculty from units across the UGA campus with expertise in virology, immunology, ecology, epidemiology, clinical research, molecular systematics, bioinformatics, and computational biology under one umbrella. CIDER is following adults and children on multiple continents in both the northern and southern hemispheres to gather data on vaccination and individuals hospitalized with severe disease. Several projects focus on underserved, indigenous, and other at-risk populations. Human sampling and animal studies will examine the differences between influenza A and B viruses and host responses to infection.
Individual investigators are studying:
- influenza’s impact on pregnant mothers and their babies.
- whether influenza B affects humans and animals without mutation.
- various questions surrounding Avian Influenza.
These studies will provide foundational knowledge about influenza viruses, enabling development and implementation of next generation vaccines and therapies to more effectively prevent and treat influenza and influenza-associated disease in all populations. CIDER studies involving emerging and potentially pandemic influenza viruses will contribute to ongoing risk assessment supporting public health, agriculture, and food safety.
