Global health R&D at work in Utah
Researchers at Utah State University supported preclinical testing that showed that a promising new antiviral drug now in development to treat Ebola and Marburg also holds potential to treat Zika. The study was supported by the Animal Models of Infectious Disease Program at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) within the National Institutes of Health. The program is part of NIAID's infrastructure for responding to emerging infectious diseases. Linked to devastating birth defects, the Zika virus affected millions of people across 80 countries, including over 49,000 cases in the United States and its territories. The Utah State study yielded important insights that could lead to a treatment for the disease.