UVM receives $12.3 million to study infectious diseases

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) - The University of Vermont has received a $12.3 million federal grant to open a new center to study infectious diseases.

The university announced Thursday the Translational Global Infectious Disease Research Center will focus on decreasing infectious disease rates, especially in low-income countries.

The program will target diseases such as HIV, influenza, tuberculosis and Ebola, and it will rely on a partnership between engineers and biologists.

Dr. Beth Kirkpatrick, the UVM chair of microbiology and molecular genetics, says the grant gives researchers tools to better predict, prepare for and control some of the infectious diseases.

The grant will also help junior faculty study under advisers and eventually become leaders in the field.