The award honors medical school faculty members who have made major contributions to improving public health and health care.

Researchers will scan the landscape of plasmablasts, the first antibody-producing, B-type immune cells that respond to MMR infection.

The discoveries about coronavirus biology that Denison and his colleagues made were foundational for the rapid validation of antiviral drugs and development of new vaccines that helped bring the COVID-19 pandemic under control.

The project aims to design computational “tool kits” that can speed development of multi-virus vaccines targeting some of the greatest infectious threats to human health.

A close cousin of Ebola, the Marburg virus is transmitted by fruit bats and by exposure to body fluids from infected individuals. There currently are no approved treatments or vaccines for MVD, which has a roughly 50% fatality rate.

The discovery, reported in the journal PLOS Pathogens, could help open the door to the development of effective vaccines and antibody therapies with an “exceptional breadth of pathogen coverage.”

Flulapalooza will happen at the tent between Light Hall and the VA Hospital from 6 a.m. – 6 p.m. Enter through Light Hall, North Lobby. Stop by to get your flu shot, reconnect with fellow colleagues, and interact with your favorite Nashville mascots.