UTMB awarded grant to study norovirus

A new $2.9 million federal grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) will help scientists at The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) uncover how noroviruses evade the immune system.

The research aims to advance vaccine development against one of the world's leading causes of gastroenteritis. Thomas Smith, professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, seeks to uncover how noroviruses change their capsid structure to avoid detection by the immune system.

Norovirus immunity tends to be short-lived and reinfection by even the same strain is common. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are not effective against the virus, which has a tough, protein shell.

"While all viruses, to varying degrees, can mutate to avoid our immune system, we found that mouse norovirus has an additional trick up its sleeve to confuse antibody recognition," Smith said. "The virus presents one 'face' at the site of infection, the gut, and a very different one in the circulation. We hope to develop new tricks to improve vaccine efficacy by better understanding this process."

Human noroviruses are responsible for nearly one-fifth of global gastroenteritis cases, making them a major public health concern. Despite their impact, effective vaccines have been difficult to develop. This grant will help fill these knowledge gaps by examining the structural flexibility of the viral capsid, which can lead to advances combatting human noroviruses.

The work builds on Dr. Smith's expertise in viral structural biology. His previous studies, including structural investigations of murine norovirus and analyses of antibody escape mechanisms, have laid critical groundwork for this new phase of research.