Protection of natural resources: the previous phase of this work (24-74CW-1814-CA) began with the training of nwrc scientists to produce purified recombinant prion protein in house for the RT-quic…

CWD Evolution LLC received a $117,050 Cooperative Agreement from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) under the Wildlife Services program (CFDA 10.028), effective September 30, 2025, with completion targeted for September 20, 2026. This award supports continued research to enhance diagnostic capabilities for chronic wasting disease (CWD) surveillance and transmission studies in wild cervids. Building on successful prior work that established in-house production of purified recombinant prion protein for the Real-Time Quaking-Induced Conversion (RT-QuIC) assay, the awardee will leverage expanded laboratory capacity to continue investigation of CWD detection methodologies and explore the species barrier to CWD transmission. The project delivers modified proteins produced in-house and publishable scientific findings that advance APHIS's mission to reduce wildlife disease impacts and support applied research in disease surveillance and management.

The Wildlife Services program prioritizes applied research, surveillance techniques, and laboratory diagnostics to address zoonotic diseases affecting wildlife and natural resources. This award exemplifies the program's focus on developing evidence-based scientific tools and infrastructure to enhance disease detection and understanding, ultimately supporting state and federal management efforts for CWD and other emerging wildlife health threats across multiple regions of the United States.

Protection of natural resources: the previous phase of this work (24-74CW-1814-CA) began with the training of nwrc scientists to produce purified recombinant prion protein in house for the RT-quic assay. This resulted in successful in-house protein production that has saved the nwrc CWD project significantly on the cost of protein for RT-quic. As a result, we have been able to scale up the assay in the nwrc prion lab and will leverage the increased capacity in this continuation to (further) address objectives 1 and 2 (similar to previous objectives) and investigate the species barrier to CWD transmission (new objective 3). Deliverables include the modified proteins produced in-house as well as publishable findings pertaining to the previously stated objectives.