UofL receives $3.7 million grant to further viral research in hopes of combatting next pandemic

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The National Institutes of Health awarded the University of Louisville $3.7 million to, "further innovative research that could help combat future pandemics."

Infectious disease researcher Donghoon Chung will lead the work. He'll target viral RNA, which viruses use to create copies of themselves, spreading the infection.

"Once inside the body, viruses 'commandeer' host cells as factories and the viral genome becomes manufacturing instructions on how to make more Zika virus, for example," Chung, an associate professor in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology, said in a news release Thursday. "The goal is to stop them from successfully copying that genome."

Chung, along with other researchers at universities across the country, are trying to develop anti-viral drugs that can be taken at home during the next big pandemic.