Zika

The National Institutes of Health, or NIH, granted researchers from the UC Berkeley School of Public Health $1.7 million to study mosquito migration patterns using genomics.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, or NIAID, granted nearly $8 million to UC Berkeley School of Public Health researchers Eva Harris and Josefina Coloma to study mosquito-borne viruses and pandemic preparedness in Asia and the Americas.

Preliminary data from a study involving UC Berkeley researchers suggests that the “Wolbachia method” could be used to significantly reduce the incidence of dengue fever, a mosquito-borne disease, in populations where the illness is endemic.

Byington currently works as the vice chancellor of health services at the Texas A&M University System while simultaneously serving as senior vice president of the Texas A&M Health Science Center as well as the Jean and Thomas McMullin professor and dean of the university's College of Medicine.

Campus researchers and Humabs BioMed, a private antibody therapeutics biotechnology company, have created a new test that helps differentiate Zika virus infections from infections of similar viruses.

New findings from UC Berkeley researchers indicate that viral infections can have unexpected consequences, including a deterioration in muscle health, a lesser sense of well-being and a higher inclination toward obesity, according to a campus press release.

In an effort to combat the recent spread of the Zika virus around the country, the national Centers for Disease Control granted the state of California $720,000 to study its effects and gather information on the virus last Tuesday.