# Virus Taxonomy: A Community Knowledgebase Supporting Virus Research

> **NIH NIH U24** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 2022 · $594,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Viruses are able to infect every kind of organism on the planet. They play an integral part in maintaining normal
ecosystems but sometimes cause perturbations that have adverse impacts on human health, agriculture, and
the wider environment. Understanding the role that viruses play in ecosystems and developing approaches to
mitigate their undesirable effects represents a major goal of virologists.
Organisms can only be understood in the context of their relationships. This begins with the delineation of
common and distinguishing properties and is formalized by the science of taxonomy which creates an ordered,
hierarchical system of classification and nomenclature. Taxonomy is critical for building a holistic understanding
of the biology of the organisms that inhabit this planet. The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses
(ICTV) provides a coherent framework for understanding viruses by classifying them on the basis of their kinships
as described by the virus taxonomy. The ICTV taxonomic database and programs form the bedrock used by
virologists worldwide to understand the global virome, standardize the nomenclature of the huge influx of newly
discovered viruses, and promote both research and education in a rapidly changing environment. This proposal
is aimed at expanding the effectiveness of the ICTV and strengthening its connections to a broad range of
stakeholders. These include people involved in scientific, veterinary, medical, educational, and regulatory
endeavors, and anyone else interested in viruses.
Our aims focus on providing an integrated set of outcomes that modernized resources to ensure a stable,
responsive, scalable infrastructure; increased availability and breadth of taxonomic and virological information;
better tools to manage taxonomic classification and handling of data supporting high-throughput virus
classification and curation; enhanced accessibility by individuals, groups, and information repositories; and
outreach and training activities to ensure that the products of our efforts are used to benefit stakeholders and to
promote better understanding of viruses and their classification.
This work will advance the capacity of bench scientists, computer scientists, educators, trade regulators,
pharmaceutical firms, government agencies, policy makers, and the general public to conduct leading edge
research, mitigate the threat posed by viruses, and better understand the risks posed by viruses to human,
animal, and agricultural health, and the planet’s ecology. This work will also contribute to national and
international security by helping governments to respond to unforeseen outbreaks of virus diseases such as
COVID-19.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10461068
- **Project number:** 5U24AI162625-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** Elliot J. Lefkowitz
- **Activity code:** U24 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $594,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-08-03 → 2026-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10461068

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10461068, Virus Taxonomy: A Community Knowledgebase Supporting Virus Research (5U24AI162625-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10461068. Licensed CC0.

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