Wayne State part of $3.5 million NIH grant to help develop treatment for mpox
July 9, 2025
A new $3.5 million NIH grant to Wayne State University and UCLA researchers marks a critical step in understanding and combating ocular complications from mpox. As Clade IIb spreads globally, this five-year study will investigate how the virus targets eye tissues, its evolving genetic mutations, and novel antiviral treatments. By combining biosafety level 2 and 3 lab expertise, the project aims to preempt severe eye-related disease outcomes. This collaboration reinforces that pandemic preparedness depends on proactive, cross-institutional research. With the virus rapidly evolving, sustained investment in both scientific inquiry and therapeutic development is imperative for safeguarding public health.
Wayne State University and UCLA researchers have received a pivotal $3.5 million grant from the National Eye Institute to unravel how the mpox virus causes ocular complications—an area of growing concern as Clade IIb spreads internationally. The five-year project, titled “Defining Ocular Monkey Pox Pathogenic Mechanisms,” will explore the virus’s impact on the eyes, its genetic evolution, and new avenues for treatment. The 2022 mpox outbreak, driven by Clade IIb, caused over 100,000 global cases, including 32,000 in the United States, with a subset of patients developing eye-related complications such as conjunctivitis and keratitis.
Principal investigators Dr. Ashok Kumar (Wayne State) and Dr. Vaithilingaraja Arumugaswami (UCLA) will use advanced models to study viral-host interactions in ocular tissues. Dr. Kumar’s team will focus on biosafety level 2 research, using donor corneal and conjunctival cells for infection modeling, while UCLA leads antiviral drug discovery under biosafety level 3 conditions. Their approach blends fundamental research and translational medicine to accelerate drug development targeting ocular mpox.
The grant was awarded in response to Dr. Kumar’s 2024 review highlighting mpox’s ocular manifestations and the urgent need for deeper investigation. With the virus continuing to evolve, understanding its tissue-specific behavior is essential to staying ahead of outbreaks. The researchers will clone Clade IIb genes to pinpoint what makes it more transmissible and eye-tropic than earlier strains.
This effort represents more than just academic research—it’s a critical stride toward preventing blindness and other severe outcomes from a virus that is increasingly difficult to contain. As Dr. Kumar noted, infectious diseases know no borders. Investing in proactive, collaborative science not only prepares us for future pandemics but strengthens our global defense against current threats. The mpox challenge is complex, but this partnership signals serious progress.