Improving dengue virus genome tracking and variant detection
Official title: Enhancing dengue virus genomic surveillance to uncover circulating genetic diversity
Funded at Yale University · NIH-11407931 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Creating easier and faster ways to read dengue virus genes to help health teams and people in dengue-prone areas.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project start | September 21, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,007,000 |
| NIH project number | 4DP2AI176740-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11407931 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are people in the Caribbean or travelers who recently had dengue-like fever and can provide a blood sample for sequencing.
✕Less likely to help
People without dengue infection or those needing immediate clinical treatment will not directly benefit from this surveillance-focused work.
What this research studies
This project will develop a universal method for sequencing the full dengue virus genome so labs can identify virus types and variants more reliably. It will build a collaborative network and provide training and sequencing support in the Caribbean to uncover local viral diversity. The team will use traveler-based surveillance to capture viruses from places outside the network, create a simpler genetic classification system to flag important variants, and build a web tool so results are easy to access. Together these steps are designed to make dengue surveillance quicker, clearer, and more useful for local public health action.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help detect worrisome dengue variants earlier and guide public health responses to reduce outbreaks.
How similar studies have gone: Genomic surveillance proved highly useful for SARS-CoV-2, but applying these methods to dengue is newer and less well established.
Where this research is happening
-
Yale University
New Haven, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Grubaugh, Nathan Dale — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Grubaugh, Nathan Dale
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.