MNPRO secures $483,497 in grants to advance chronic wasting disease research and management

The Minnesota Center for Prion Research and Outreach (MNPRO) has been awarded $483,497 in grants from USDA-APHIS to support research and management of chronic wasting disease (CWD). The grants will fund projects ranging from management and outreach, to improving testing, and further understanding the impacts of surface decontamination processes.

Funds awarded to Dr. Tiffany Wolf, PI of the project and MNPRO Co-Director and Associate Professor in the Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, and Dr. Marissa Milstein, Co-PI and Presidential Post-doctoral Fellow in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, support cooperative research with Auburn University and the natural resource management agencies of White Earth Nation and the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. The goals of the grant are to optimize surveillance, management, and outreach efforts on Tribal lands. The project will use agent-based modeling tools to simulate CWD in deer populations and produce educational videos relevant to Tribal members. By taking a community-based approach, the project seeks to ensure that CWD management strategies are tailored for Tribal hunter and resource manager implementation and disease control. This initiative empowers Tribes to protect their food sovereignty and cultural heritage. Additionally, knowledge derived from this project may have utility for the management of CWD across Tribal nations in Minnesota and elsewhere in the Midwest.

The first of two grants awarded to Dr. Stuart Lichtenberg, MNPRO Director of Environmental Toxicology, focuses on laboratory aspects of CWD. The goal is to improve existing testing to allow for the identification of disease at very low concentrations in live animal tissue. The team is exploring the use of paramagnetic nanoparticles (PMNPs) to enhance real-time quaking induced conversion (RT-QuIC). Preliminary experiments suggest that PMNPs may overcome limitations of existing methods. The successful development of PMNP-enhanced RT-QuIC will revolutionize antemortem CWD detection, enabling more agile and informed decisions regarding herd management and improving the overall management of CWD.

The second project aims to reduce the risk of CWD transmission and promote safer handling and processing of venison. Prions have a notorious ability to bind to surfaces and remain infectious. Chemical decontamination of these surfaces is by far the most accessible option, but the information regarding effective decontaminants, protocols, and their compatibility with the materials these implements are composed of is incomplete. The chemical composition and physical landscape of the surfaces in question can change during repeat decontamination exposures, potentially altering the binding properties of infectious prions and the efficacy of subsequent decontamination attempts. Although focused on knives and venison processing, this research can be extended to any steel surface, making it relevant to hunters, consumers, farmed cervid operators, veterinarians, and management agencies.

The management of CWD requires a multi-faceted approach that addresses the complex interactions between the disease, humans, and the environment. These grants, in combination, provide MNPRO researchers with additional resources to drive progress in CWD research.