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What is the context of this research?

Understanding the natural resistance of certain bat species to WNS provides critical information on the likely impact that this disease will have on other bat species, including threatened and endangered species. Our data may help us identify understand the nature and dynamics of WNS on remnant bat populations within WNS-affected areas, while also identifying mechanisms that protect bats from the pathogen, potentially generating new methods that can be used to control WNS and protect bats.



What is the significance of this project?

A lot of existing research is based on applied research - that is, what can be get to kill WNS. While this research is laudable, despite millions of dollars of government funding, no single agent has been able to protect wild bat populations to date. We believe that an alternate approach is to better understand the natural processes that already protect certain bat species from this devastating disease. As this is a basic (discovery) science approach to solving the WNS, we haven't be able to secure funding for the research by agencies with funding priorities that only target finding a cure.

What are the goals of the project?

1. Identify the chemical compounds that are found on bats naturally resistant to WNS.

2. By comparisons with bat species susceptible to WNS, narrow down the potential chemical defenses of WNS-resistant bats to those that are protective.

3. Chemically synthesize the novel compounds and test them for anti-WNS activity.

4. Determine the origin of these compounds - are they made by the bats themselves, or is there a natural, probiotic defense by other microbial species on these bats.