Remarkable discoveries occur at the intersection of animal and human health. At the UW School of Veterinary Medicine, Marulasiddappa Suresh, a professor of immunology, is conducting a landmark exploration of immune resistance and respiratory viral infections and how they impact people and animals alike.
When the medical community began collaborating to understand how the COVID-19 virus operates, a vital rush to create an effective vaccine became known across the planet. With a similar resoluteness, Suresh is hard at work developing broadly protective, universal vaccines for influenza and SARS-CoV-2 to provide robust and durable protection against continually evolving viral strains. His goal is to create vaccines that eliminate the need for boosters every six to 12 months.
Worldwide, viruses such as influenza and SARS-CoV-2 continue to cause thousands of deaths each year. Additionally, influenza virus infections lead to billions of dollars in losses for the global food-animal industry.
“Our goal is to leverage T cells to develop novel vaccination strategies that provide broad immunity against mutation-prone viruses like influenza and SARS-CoV-2,” Suresh says. “The school boasts an outstanding academic program and is renowned for its high-impact research that enhances the health of animals and humans. Located within the top-tier research university, the school offers an exceptional environment for both education and investigation.”
A faculty member since 1998, Suresh takes a multidisciplinary approach to developing novel vaccines that can produce durable immunity to viruses. Exploring innovative ideas through high-risk, high-reward experiments aids in breakthrough exploration while training the next generation of gifted veterinarians. None of this would be possible without the generous support of dedicated donors.
“The John E. Butler Professorship in Comparative and Mucosal Immunology has been instrumental in supporting pilot experiments that test innovative ideas,” Suresh shares. “Data from these experiments have not only advanced our understanding of immunological mechanisms but also enabled us to secure external funding from agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health, to study defense mechanisms against viruses.”
John Butler is a professor emeritus of microbiology and immunology with the Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa. He chose the UW for his endowed contribution because of the strong leadership in this area of study. “UW–Madison has many departments in animal science, genetics, and medicine that are all on the same campus,” Butler says. “My interest in nature and how organisms function and interact at the cellular and molecular level is what drives my passion for this type of research. I have been particularly interested in the work of Dr. Suresh in mucosal immunology because he is focusing on T cell memory in the mucosa, which has been a largely overlooked area.”
“We have set ambitious goals for utilizing this philanthropic support,” shares Suresh. “We aim to elucidate the fundamental immunological mechanisms that contribute to effective defense against respiratory viral infections in both the young and the elderly. Our objective is to harness this knowledge to develop innovative immunological strategies for the prevention and treatment of respiratory viral infections in both animals and humans.”
Visionary donors like John Butler are transforming the future of education. “I want to express my deepest appreciation for John Butler’s invaluable support of our research,” Suresh says. “His funding has allowed us to take bold, scientific approaches that might otherwise have been too risky to pursue. As a result, our research has opened new avenues for investigation, paving the way for the development of next-generation vaccines against respiratory viral infections in both animals and humans. This progress could significantly enhance our ability to combat these challenging and evolving viruses.”
