Midwest Antiviral Drug Discovery Center Established at U of M
The University of Minnesota is establishing a center to develop antiviral drugs for pandemic-level viruses such as SARS-CoV-2. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has awarded the U of M a $66 million grant for the new Midwest Antiviral Drug Discovery (AViDD) Center, which is part of a national network of nine such centers established by NIAID. MSI PIs Reuben Harris (professor, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics) and Fang Li (professor, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences) are co-leading the Midwest AViDD Center.
A story about this award and the new Center appears on the Medical School’s News website: U of M Receives NIAID Grant to Develop Drug Treatments for Future Viral Pandemics. MSI PI Ryan Langlois (associate professor, Microbiology and Immunology) is also quoted in the article.
Professor Harris uses resources at MSI for investigations into the role of DNA cytidine deaminases, especially APOBEC3B, in cancer. Professor Li uses MSI for research focusing on the structural and molecular basis of human diseases including virus infections and cancer. Professor Langlois uses MSI for projects related to immune responses to virus infections.
