Faculty of Infectious Diseases

UGA Researchers Win GRA Collaboration Planning Grants

September 7, 2009

UGA infectious disease researchers are among the recipients of Georgia Research Alliance 2010 Collaboration Planning Grants. The grants promote joint university-based research and development projects focused on next-generation vaccines and therapeutics that have the potential to attract national R&D centers and high-level R&D awards. 

Nearly $1.4 million in grants went to 14 research project teams, which are collaborations of researchers at Emory University, the University of Georgia, Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Clark Atlanta University, the Medical College of Georgia, Mercer University, Morehouse School of Medicine, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is the third year of the program, which has leveraged nearly $11 million in new non-state R&D funding. 

• Ralph Tripp and Mark Tompkins, infectious diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, and June Scott, Emory University: Development of a new vaccine vector for respiratory syncytial virus based on a probiotic bacterium
• John Rose, biochemistry and molecular biology, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, and Yury Khudyakov, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Structural studies of the hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAG) aimed at developing next generation vaccines (Year 2). 

UGA researchers also received planning grants for projects in regenerative medicine and cancer therapeutics.