University of Alberta gets funding for Zika virus research stat : Metro News

A University of Alberta research team is at the forefront of the fight against the Zika virus. In pregnant women it can lead to microcephaly, a sometimes fatal congenital condition associated with incomplete brain development in newborns. The current outbreak of Zika virus began in 2014 in South America and has since spread to the Gulf Coast of the U.S. This is the second time Hobman's team has received funding for Zika research – last July, they were awarded one million dollars over five years for related studies. Ansalem said they've already made strong progress on understanding the cell types that support the virus.




There are currently no cures for Zika virus infections or vaccines available against the virus. To this day, there is no vaccine to prevent and no medicine to treat Zika virus infections. The spread of the Zika virus, which can cause devastating birth defects, has become a pressing public health issue in many countries. These three research teams have the potential to shed new light on the Zika virus and save lives. Together, the international teams will create new knowledge to help develop diagnostics for Zika virus infection, understand the pathology caused by the virus, and ultimately prevent its transmission and morbidity.


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