Zhicheng Dou, associate professor in Clemson University’s Department of Biological Sciences and member of the EPIC team, has been awarded $3.2 million in funding from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The five-year grant supports Dou’s collaborative research with Danielle Graham of the University of Arkansas to combat histomonosis, a devastating parasitic disease also known as blackhead disease, which significantly impacts turkey flocks.
The research, funded through the FDA’s Animal and Veterinary Innovation Center initiative, focuses on understanding disease transmission and exploring existing FDA-approved drugs for treatment. Preliminary studies by Dou and Graham revealed that Histomonas meleagridis, the parasite behind histomonosis, forms cyst-like structures that may allow fecal-oral transmission in poultry, challenging long-standing theories of disease spread.