Date of Award

January 2021

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Health (MPH)

Department

School of Public Health

First Advisor

Nancy Ruddle

Abstract

This is a theoretical proposal done as an intellectual exercise. The purpose of this project is to practice and familiarize oneself with the process of applying for a grant from the National Institute of Health to conduct research on human subjects. This proposed study plans to sequence blood samples from infected individuals, exposed and uninfected individuals, and unexposed individuals from the 2018 outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo to determine the presence of polymorphisms in TNF production as they relate to Ebolavirus infection. It is hypothesized that certain polymorphisms in the regulation and production of TNF that cause a decreased production thereof have a protective effect against Ebola disease. This hypothesis is based on a synthesis of other’s published work. Completion of this study will identify key polymorphic targets for developing interventions and allocating healthcare resources during a potential future Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The work proposed here will also develop experimental techniques and understanding of infectious disease immunology and genetics that together will constitute a widely-applicable platform for assessing risk during other disease outbreaks.

Comments

This is an Open Access Thesis.

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