Congratulations to Professor Curtis Brandt, one of our latest recipients of the MERI Grant Summit Program (GSP) Award!
Prof. Brandt’s winning research proposal was entitled ‘Mechanisms of Sensory Nerve Loss in HSV-1 Keratitis.’ This project aims to understand how herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) causes nerve damage in the eye, which can lead to blindness. More specifically, the proposal focuses on learning how the virus triggers a process called Wallerian Degeneration — a way the body breaks down damaged nerves — to uncover which viral and immune factors are responsible. The GSP award will support Prof. Brandt’s upcoming grant resubmission to the NIH/PED2 by allowing his team to collect further data required to pinpoint the specific viral genes responsible for that nerve damage.
