40 Hours for the Forty Acres September 2022

Who We Are

The goal of the John Ring LaMontagne Center for Infectious Disease is to bridge the gap between basic and translational research into bacterial and viral pathogens. Emerging infections, including the current COVID-19 epidemic and multi-drug resistant bacteria, pose enormous health risks, and current treatment options are limited.  Research is needed to better understand the biology of these organisms, the host immune response to the infections, and new therapies to prevent or treat the infections.

LCID Members bring expertise and research in over 30 different diseases including Coronaviruses, Ebola, HIV/AIDS, Breast Cancer, Leukemia, Arthritis, and Cystic Fibrosis. Their research has also been instrumental in developing the current COVID-19 mRNA vaccines to help prevent serious disease and death from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Faculty are currently investigating several aspects of infectious disease, including vaccines, viral and bacterial mutations, antibiotic resistance, biotechnology, biofilms, and nanomedicine. 

What We’re Fundraising For

We will provide seed grants for LaMontagne Center investigators to initiate ground-breaking research projects on new and emerging diseases, vaccines, and immunotherapies.  Your donation will play a role in the development of new treatments, infectious disease prevention and future infection predictions. These funds will support the LCID's efforts to revolutionize health practices for many deadly diseases.

Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are at the heart of our research programs and are the next generation of infectious disease researchers. Your donations will provide supplements to attract and retain the best and brightest to UT.

The Richard J. Meyer Endowed Excellence Fund

We are also raising funds for the new Richard J. Meyer Endowed Excellence Fund for an annual lecture in Microbiology. This endowment was established by LCID Director Dr. Shelley Payne and LCID Associate Director Dr. Jaquelin P. Dudley in memory of their friend and colleague. Dr. Meyer was a member of the University of Texas at Austin Department of Microbiology as well as the merged Molecular Genetics and Microbiology Department and the Molecular Biosciences Department. This endowment recognizes Dr. Meyer’s contributions to science and his training of Microbiology graduate students. This endowed lectureship will support an annual lecture through the LaMontagne Center for Infectious Diseases to allow LCID faculty, students, and postdoctoral fellows to learn cutting edge information that will inspire their research.  

Your Impact

Research by LCID members is having a profound impact on the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.  Their work has contributed to the development of COVID-19 vaccines and vaccines for other illnesses, treatments for anthrax and other infections, development of gene therapy vectors, and novel peptide antibiotics, among other discoveries.