CVM researchers secure $732,000 to further the study of chronic wasting disease in Minnesota

October 19, 2022

Deer

The Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund recently approved a $732,000 grant to CVM researchers studying chronic wasting disease (CWD), a fatal  and highly contagious neurological disease that affects deer across Minnesota-—and in other parts of the nation and globe.

 

Infected deer shed prions (disease-causing proteins) into the environment while they are sick and through decomposition after they die. These prions can remain infectious in the environment for years, increasing the risk of CWD spread. The research team, headed by Tiffany Wolf at the Minnesota Center for Prion Research and Outreach (MNPRO), will work to optimize soil testing for CWD prions. They’ll also develop a Minnesota soils map that will be updated by ongoing experiments and will be used to model CWD risk across the state.

 

 

This work will build upon MNPRO’s current environmental-centric prion research and the successes in advancing prion detection platforms. Ultimately, the researchers plan to convene a broader team of scientists from across the U.S. to collaboratively strategize, design, and perform coordinated soil-based prion detection research. Such a consortium of nationally leading, multidisciplinary laboratories will enable critical progress in tackling this complex ecological problem. 

 

 

 

 

Categories: Research