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The US Department of Agriculture is funding research at the University of South Florida to investigate viruses, like the one that causes COVID-19. This comes in the form of a three-million-dollar grant.
The research is led by Andrew Kramer, assistant professor in the Department of Integrated Biology at the University of South Florida.
“I think, rightly so, we spend lots of time thinking about human health and how our behavior impacts spread of disease. But, we have to remember that we’re not the only players here.”
With the grant, Kramer will examine how the virus spreads between wildlife and humans. He hopes this could help researchers understand other emerging diseases in the future.
“The virus that causes COVID-19 and has led to so many issues for people, also infects more than 50 species of mammals. And what happens in those animals, it can hurt those animals, but it can also increase risk for humans now and in the future”
Kramer will work with Washington State University, IBM Research, and Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.
He calls it an ambitious project with a five-year timeline.
