Grant Given to Enhance HIV Research at University of Nebraska-Lincoln

The National Institutes of Health awarded a five-year, $2.6 million grant for the Nebraska Center for Virology to continue its research into HIV and Kaposi's sarcoma-related herpes. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Vice Chancellor of Research Prem Paul made the announcement on Nov. 6. NCV has been conducting its research for five years. "We are excited to start the second stage of our study, and we look forward to the next five years," said Charles Wood, NCV's director and a UNL biological sciences professor. The center has been researching the herpes virus in Zambia, where Wood and other researchers have found a high incidence of both HIV and herpes among babies and young children. The primary study focus is to determine the routes of transmission for the infected children, Wood said. Of the Zambian women in the study, about 30 percent have HIV. "Ultimately, we hope we can develop strategies to prevent the transmission of this cancer-causing virus and HIV," said Wood.

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