Achoo! Discovering More about how Viruses are Transmitted Indoors

Sneezing? Coughing? Talking? Hotter or colder? Humid air or dry?

Emory is establishing a dedicated research unit to directly measure how viruses spread through the air from person to person indoors, and what factors influence that spread. 

The Emory Center for Transmission of Airborne Pathogens unit, which opened in May at Emory University Hospital, is the only one of its kind in the U.S. 

Supported by a $10 million grant by Flu Lab, the custom-designed, 10-bed unit integrates clinical care and research and operates in collaboration with Emory Hope Clinic. The unit also has a clean room for aerosol sampling, and an on-site virology laboratory. 

Participants volunteer to enroll in human infection transmission studies involving airborne infectious diseases, including influenza, RSV and other viruses. 

“This specialized unit has unique environmental systems to allow precise control of temperature and humidity — critical factors that influence airborne transmission — but have historically been difficult to study in human settings,” says Seema Lakdawala, co-director of the Emory Center for Transmission of Airborne Pathogens and associate professor of microbiology and immunology.

The unit’s research findings will help in developing practical interventions to reduce the spread of respiratory pathogens and make indoor spaces safer.