MNPRO receives two new state grants to support chronic wasting disease research

Dr. Peter Larsen and the Minnesota Center for Prion Research and Outreach (MNPRO) received a 4-year, $3.9 million grant from the Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF) to support the growth of the Center’s work as an incubator for research advances addressing chronic wasting disease (CWD) and other prion-related diseases. The funds will also allow MNPRO to significantly expand its CWD-related outreach and education efforts across the state.

CWD is a perpetual, multi-billion dollar threat to the state’s economy through reduction in hunting activities and sales, decreased property values, and limited trade of agricultural commodities from positive areas. MNPRO was established in 2019 to join the state’s efforts in CWD research and control by advancing diagnostic technology and providing outreach and education. With previous funding from the ENRTF, their early successes in these areas highlighted the critical need for the continued work of such a multidisciplinary center. The new award will be used to support essential MNPRO functions and outreach, for diagnostic development to improve surveillance, and for research to improve understanding of CWD spread and persistence.

In addition to the ENRTF award, MNPRO researchers led by Dr. Tiffany Wolf received a $150,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to provide sample collection and testing from hunter-killed deer during the 2022 hunting season. Read about other recent funding received by Dr. Wolf and MNPRO here.