Improving the use of deer mice to study infectious diseases
Official title: Enhancing the utility of deer mice as an infectious disease model
Funded at University of South Carolina at Columbia · NIH-11198321 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is working to make deer mice better helpers for scientists studying diseases like COVID-19 and Lyme disease, so they can breed more of these mice, create better tools for research, and share important information, ultimately helping to improve our understanding and treatment of these illnesses that affect people.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of South Carolina at Columbia NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Columbia, United States) |
| Project start | June 1, 2025 |
| Project end | May 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $466,725 |
| NIH project number | 1R24AI186970-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11198321 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for benefiting from this research include individuals affected by infectious diseases such as Lyme disease or COVID-19.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with non-infectious diseases or those not affected by the diseases studied may not receive any benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research focuses on enhancing the use of deer mice as a model for studying infectious diseases, including COVID-19 and Lyme disease. The project aims to improve breeding programs to ensure a steady supply of these animals for research, develop specific antibodies for better disease modeling, and create accessible databases for researchers. By addressing these key areas, the research seeks to facilitate more effective studies on infectious agents that affect human health. Patients may benefit indirectly through advancements in understanding and treating diseases linked to these models.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to improved understanding and treatment options for infectious diseases that impact human health.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown success in using animal models for studying infectious diseases, indicating that this approach is both valid and valuable.
Where this research is happening
-
University of South Carolina at Columbia
Columbia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kiaris, Hippokratis — University of South Carolina at Columbia
- Study coordinator: Kiaris, Hippokratis
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Latin American Center for Emerging Infectious Disease Surveillance and Readiness
A regional collaboration in Peru and neighboring countries aims to strengthen early warning and monitoring for viruses that could jump from animals to people, helping communities prepare for outbreaks.
-
Center in Latin America to monitor emerging infectious diseases
A U01 grant supporting a collaboration between Peruvian and U.S. researchers to improve early detection and surveillance of regionally relevant viruses that could affect people, animals, and crops in Peru and neighboring areas.
-
Acanthamoeba as a modern model parasite to study infectious disease biology and mitochondria
A five-year project will define the mitochondrial proteins and pathways of Acanthamoeba castellanii to advance infectious disease biology and parasite metabolism.
-
IDEAL project helps predict vaccine response, infections, and asthma in early childhood
A Child-focused program will collect and share saliva, blood, and tissue samples from diverse infants to find biological patterns that predict how vaccines work, how respiratory infections occur, and who develops asthma.
-
Understanding how early-life immune development affects vaccine responses and asthma risk in children
This project uses lab-grown human immune cells from infants and young children to explore why some kids respond poorly to vaccines and are more prone to respiratory infections and asthma.
-
Multi-omic endotypes of vaccine response, respiratory infections, and asthma in children
A parent-friendly look at how early-life immune development shapes how kids respond to vaccines and stay free from lung infections and asthma, using advanced biological profiling.
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.