{"id":79150,"date":"2022-06-23T14:39:14","date_gmt":"2022-06-23T18:39:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=79150"},"modified":"2022-06-23T16:20:14","modified_gmt":"2022-06-23T20:20:14","slug":"brock-researchers-awarded-more-than-3-million-in-nserc-grants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2022\/06\/brock-researchers-awarded-more-than-3-million-in-nserc-grants\/","title":{"rendered":"Brock researchers awarded more than $3 million in NSERC grants"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s well known that mosquitoes transmit viruses that cause Zika, dengue and West Nile, but do all viruses that infect mosquitoes cause disease? Can some viruses be used to manipulate mosquitoes so they don\u2019t spread such diseases?<\/p>\n

Ian Patterson is aiming to answer these questions by exploring how a group of viruses that only infect insects, but not humans, animals or plants, can be harnessed to stop all mosquitoes from spreading diseases.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is an increased threat of disease caused by viruses transmitted by insects in Canada, and globally,\u201d says the Brock University Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences. \u201cThis problem will continue because of changes in climate and land use.\u201d<\/p>\n

Patterson is carrying out this work with funding he received from the federal government\u2019s Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).<\/p>\n

Fran\u00e7ois-Philippe Champagne,\u00a0Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced the results of NSERC\u2019s 2022 Discovery and Research Tools competitions Thursday, June 23. Brock University was awarded funding in four grant categories \u2014 Discovery, Discovery Development, Research Tools and Instruments, and Launch Supplement \u2014 totalling more than $3 million.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe investments made by NSERC speak to the quality and impact of research in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines at Brock,\u201d says Vice-President, Research Tim Kenyon.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough this support from NSERC programs, Brock researchers will continue to make outstanding contributions, from fundamental science to applied problem-solving, while supporting and mentoring the next generation of international experts in their fields.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Patterson\u2019s case, he and his team will be examining a group of insect-specific viruses called negeviruses. Patterson\u2019s earlier research<\/a> has shown that these viruses block the replication of disease-causing arboviruses when both viruses are present in an insect cell culture.<\/p>\n

Using mosquito colonies and cell cultures, the research team will investigate if negeviruses can infect mosquito cells and mosquitoes when other viruses are present, how negeviruses are spread amongst mosquitoes, and if they cause disease in mosquitoes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese studies will underpin a strategy to deploy negeviruses in wild populations of insects, which could potentially reduce disease in humans, animals and plants in Canada and around the world,\u201d says Patterson.<\/p>\n

He is one of 16 Brock researchers awarded NSERC\u2019s Discovery Grant<\/a>, which supports ongoing programs of research with long-term goals rather than a single short-term project or collection of projects.<\/p>\n

Three Brock researchers were awarded Discovery Development Grants<\/a>, which provide recipients with resources to build their research programs.<\/p>\n

Two Brock researchers received Research Tools and Instruments<\/a> funds for the purchase of equipment, while nine were awarded the Discovery Launch Supplement<\/a>, which supports early career researchers as they establish a Discovery Grant-funded research program.<\/p>\n

Discovery Grants:<\/strong><\/p>\n