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Dr. Fauci Ebola virus research gets millions of dollars of NIH funding https://www.ebolaoutbreakmap.com/listings/ebola-drfauci/ Two new Ebola grants support Ebola research exploring how Ebola spreads in the body with implication for targeted Ebola viral treatments Olena Shtanko, Ph.D., a Staff Scientist at the Texas Biomedical Research Institute (Texas Biomed), has received more than $1 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to explore different aspects of Ebola virus infection. Understanding how cells become infected is critical to identifying and designing therapies that target viral replication and spread in a host. Shtanko is also excited to explore a possible alternative mode of spread — tunneling nanotubes, dynamic connections between cells, which allow cells to communicate by exchanging content over relatively long distances (up to 200 microns). While these structures have been shown to play a prominent role in promoting neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and spread of a variety of viruses, including HIV-1 and influenza, no one is known to have investigated their role in disseminating Ebola and related viruses. Texas Biomed is uniquely positioned for this type of research, hosting both a BSL4 lab and the Southwest National Primate Research Center. While this initial research will be in vitro (or in a petri dish), the studies will eventually move to more advanced animal models.