# Development of the ferret model for EV-D68 infection

> **NIH NIH R21** · HENRY M. JACKSON FDN FOR THE ADV MIL/MED · 2020 · $266,869

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM) is a debilitating condition in young children. The exact cause of AFM is currently
unknown though EV-D68, an enterovirus has been temporally associated with AFM. The exact mechanism's
by which EV-D68 causes spinal cord and CNS pathology is not known. Here we propose the development of
an immunocompetent small animal model, namely the ferret to study EV-D68 infections. Ferrets have been
widely used as a model to study respiratory pathogens such as influenza, RSV, SARS, Hendra and Nipah
viruses. Given that the lower respiratory tract is the primary route of entry for EV-D68, we hypothesize that
ferrets will serve as a viable model to study EV-D68 pathogenesis. In aim 1, we will develop the model of
intranasal infection and delineate the correlates of pathogenesis and immunity, and in aim 2 we will develop a
novel avian paramyxovirus based EV-D68 vaccine to examine its potential to prevent intranasal challenge.
These studies will provide novel insights into the mechanisms of EV-D68 pathogenesis and vaccine mediated
protection from respiratory infections.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9978480
- **Project number:** 1R21AI152076-01
- **Recipient organization:** HENRY M. JACKSON FDN FOR THE ADV MIL/MED
- **Principal Investigator:** Joseph John Mattapallil
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $266,869
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-15 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9978480

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9978480, Development of the ferret model for EV-D68 infection (1R21AI152076-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9978480. Licensed CC0.

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