UCLA-led team receives $3.5 million NIH grant to develop treatment for mpox: What to know about the viral illness
July 2, 2025
With a new $3.5 million NIH grant, researchers at UCLA and Wayne State University are advancing vital mpox research amid a troubling resurgence in Africa. Their work targets a fast-evolving clade of the virus that disproportionately affects children and poses increasing global risk. By studying viral mutations, eye and skin tissue infection pathways, and testing promising antiviral drug candidates that restore immune function, the team aims to curb transmission and reduce severity. As the U.S. sees sporadic mpox cases, this forward-looking investment is a crucial step toward global preparedness—because ignoring viral threats today could spark tomorrow’s crisis.
The National Institutes of Health has awarded a five-year, $3.5 million grant to UCLA and Wayne State University researchers to investigate the evolution, transmission, and treatment of mpox—a critical move amid its ongoing resurgence in Africa. The research, led by Dr. Vaithilingaraja Arumugaswami, targets a newly emergent, highly virulent strain of the mpox virus responsible for child fatalities and rising transmission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and surrounding regions.
This initiative is vital. Despite mpox receding from public attention in high-income countries, the virus continues to mutate and adapt. The study's three-fold focus—mapping how mpox spreads in skin and eye tissues, analyzing genetic mutations for increased virulence, and developing novel antiviral drugs—addresses urgent knowledge gaps that could determine the trajectory of the next global outbreak.
Initial findings from mouse studies have identified drug candidates that can re-engage the immune system’s STING pathway, which mpox has evolved to suppress. These candidates successfully blocked viral replication without toxicity, a breakthrough that could offer affordable, scalable treatment in addition to existing vaccines. The team is now testing these drugs in lab-grown human tissue models, with hopes of progressing to FDA discussions for clinical trials next year.
This research underscores a broader truth: viral pathogens don’t respect borders. The U.S. cannot afford to view mpox as a contained threat. Continued transmission elsewhere means continued global risk. Investing in preventive science and therapeutics before crises emerge—not after—is the only rational strategy. As the virus evolves and access to vaccines remains limited in many regions, tools like these are essential to break the chain of transmission and safeguard public health everywhere.
In short, this NIH-backed research may be one of the most strategic defenses we have against the next pandemic.