The Moody Brain Health Institute, in partnership with the Institute for Human Infections & Immunity, announced the winners of the first I-DID (Intersection of Dementia & Infectious Disease) Pilot Program.
The initiative provides up to $250,000 in pilot funding over one year to support multi-principal investigator, cross-disciplinary research that advances understanding of how infections may contribute to neurodegenerative diseases. The goal is to generate preliminary data for a larger multi-PI grant submission targeted for FY27.
“Linking viral infection to the molecular mechanisms of Alzheimer’s gives us a new window into how this devastating disease may begin,” said Dr. Rakez Kayed, Professor of Neurology and Neurobiology and John Sealy Distinguished Chair in Parkinson Disease Research. “This pilot award allows us to connect disciplines and technologies in a way that could transform how we approach prevention and treatment.”
The Congratulations to the INVADE team—Investigating Neurotropic Virus-Induced Alzheimer’s Disease Etiology—whose innovative collaboration exemplifies the spirit of scientific discovery driving the future of brain health at UTMB.
The awardees are:
Courtney B. Woolsey, PhD — Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology & Immunology; Member, Institute for Human Infections & Immunity; Galveston National Laboratory
Georgiy Golovko, PhD — Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology; Associate Director, Center for Health and Clinical Outcomes Research
Agenor Limon, PhD — Associate Professor & Vice Chair for Research, Department of Neurology; Director, Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases; Brigadier General & Mrs. Donald B. Wagner Professorship in Neurodegenerative Disease Research; Associate Director, Biorepository, Moody Brain Health Institute
Maria-Adelaide Micci, PhD — Professor, Department of Anesthesiology; Associate Director for Neurodevelopmental Systems, Moody Brain Health Institute
Anna Fracassi, PhD — Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology; Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases; Neurodevelopmental Systems, MBHI
Hugues Fausther-Bovendo, PhD — Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology & Immunology; Member, Sealy Institute for Drug Discovery