We are pleased to announce that Dr. Anna Onisiforou and Dr. Zanos  have been awarded a $100,000 grant from the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) Foundation. The grant will support an innovative project entitled “Sex-Specific Mechanisms of HSV-1 and EBV in Alzheimer’s Disease Risk.”

This competitive funding was awarded through the 2025 Microbial Pathogenesis in Alzheimer’s Disease grant program, recognizing the potential impact and scientific merit of our research. The funded research aims to investigate the relationship between viral factors and Alzheimer’s disease development, with particular attention to sex differences in disease susceptibility. The project will explore how genetic variations and hormonal factors might interact with viral exposures to influence disease risk.

This work builds upon our previous IDSA Foundation-funded research, which has already yielded important insights into the complex relationship between microbial factors and neurodegenerative processes. This two-year project begins in May 2025 and findings from this research could contribute to our understanding of the biological factors that influence Alzheimer’s disease risk and potentially inform future therapeutic approaches.