Crowdfunding campaign to support Zika virus research

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Following the March 31 announcement that a Purdue-led team is the first to determine the structure of the Zika virus, a crowdfunding campaign has been launched to support ongoing Zika research.

The fundraising is designed to call attention to Purdue's Zika work and has set a $50,000 goal for the effort, which ends on April 28. This is a way for individuals to give at a variety of levels to play a part in helping take on a virus that is a global health concern. Those who wish to donate can go online to https://crowdfunding.purdue.edu/project/2123.

"Our research team plans to continue its work to try to pinpoint different regions of the virus as targets for treatment and to develop potential therapeutic responses," said Richard Kuhn, director of the Purdue Institute for Inflammation, Immunology and Infectious Diseases.

By identifying the structure, the researchers revealed insights critical to the development of effective antiviral treatments and vaccines. The team led by Purdue also identified regions within the Zika virus structure where it differs from other flaviviruses, the family of viruses to which Zika belongs that includes dengue, West Nile, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis and tick-borne encephalitic viruses. 

Contact: Lisa Tally, University Development Office, 765-494-2181, lisat@purdue.edu