Preventing infectious diseases that jump from animals to people
Official title: Center for Transformative Infectious Disease Research (CTIDR)
Funded at Cornell University · NIH-11193935 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how extreme weather and seasonal changes affect when and where bat infections can spread to people so we can better prevent new outbreaks.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cornell University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ithaca, United States) |
| Project start | September 17, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $234,233 |
| NIH project number | 5P20AI186093-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11193935 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People living or working near bat habitats, wildlife handlers, or communities with frequent bat contact are most directly relevant to this work.
✕Less likely to help
People with health issues unrelated to zoonotic exposure or those living far from bat habitats are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this project.
What this research studies
You should know that researchers will analyze many years of existing data on bats, weather, and viruses to see how heat, drought, storms, and seasons change bat health, diet, movement, and virus shedding. They will combine those datasets and use satellite and environmental data to map places and times when people are most likely to be exposed. Much of the work draws on long-term data from Australia but the methods are meant to be useful in other regions too. This is not a clinical trial and uses existing animal and environmental data to guide prevention efforts.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help public health teams predict and prevent animal-to-human outbreaks, lowering the chance of new infectious disease outbreaks in communities.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has linked weather and bat behavior to virus patterns, but combining long-term datasets with remote sensing to prioritize prevention is a newer and less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Cornell University
Ithaca, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Plowright, Raina — Cornell University
- Study coordinator: Plowright, Raina
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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.