COLLEGE STATION (KRHD) — Researchers from Texas A&M University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and the University of Minnesota have received a $3.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop antiviral treatments for mpox, formerly known as monkeypox.
The disease, which causes rashes and blisters, remains a significant public health concern in parts of Central and Eastern Africa, where it is endemic.
The global mpox outbreak in May 2022 impacted all 50 U.S. states before subsiding, but experts emphasize the need for effective treatments to combat potential future outbreaks.
“There have been two global emergency declarations related to mpox in just the last two years,” said Dr. Zhilong Yang, an associate professor in the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology at Texas A&M and a co-leader of the project.
Although the mpox virus has been known since the 1950s, most available treatments are designed to target the smallpox virus, a closely related pathogen.
Many smallpox treatments are also challenging to access because they are often stockpiled in bulk for national reserves, limiting the availability of doses for immediate use.
“Stockpiling is a strategy for responding to emergency outbreaks, even for diseases that are already eradicated,” Yang said.