OCRID Scientists secure NIH R21 Grants

7/28/2026

Dr. Tom Oomens, Associate Director of OCRID and an Associate Professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine at OSU, was awarded an R21 grant from NIAID, titled "Manipulating interferon levels toward a safe and effective live single-cycle pediatric RSV vaccine". In this project, Dr. Oomens and his lab continue their work on live single-cycle respiratory syncytial virus vaccines targeted for the pediatric population. These candidate vaccines will be tested in a neonatal mouse model, to better emulate the target population and test whether challenges associated with young, RSV-naive, individuals can be overcome.

Dr. Kelly Harrison, OCRID Center Investigator and Assistant Professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine at OSU, was also awarded an R21 grant entitled - "Progesterone Receptor Activation Enhances HSV-1 Infection and Reactivation from Latency". Dr. Harrison and her research team will study whether progesterone and its receptor directly regulate HSV-1 during infection and latency. Through experiments in primary human cells and progesterone receptor-deficient mice, they will evaluate the impact of hormone signaling on viral replication and reactivation. This work could reveal new mechanisms underlying recurrent HSV-1 infections in women.