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Grants
Boost Research
MU receives a $6.8 million grant for the
construction of a regional biosafety lab.
The National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part
of the National Institutes of
Health, today announced funding for the construction of
two National Biocontainment Laboratories (NBLs) and nine Regional
Biocontainment Laboratories (RBLs).
Architectual rendering of the Regional Biocontainment
Laboratory that will be built at MU. View
a larger version.
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“These awards to build high-level
biosafety facilities are a major step towards being able to
provide Americans with effective therapies, vaccines and diagnostics
for diseases caused by agents of bioterror as well as for naturally
occurring emerging infections such as SARS and West Nile virus,”
said Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson.
One-time grants of approximately $120 million
each will fund construction of the NBLs, while the RBLs will
receive one-time grants of between $7 and $21 million each in
construction funds. Each institution is also required to provide
matching funds.
National
Biocontainment Laboratories
- Boston University
- University of Texas Medical Branch at
Galveston
Regional Biocontainment Laboratories
- Colorado State University, Fort Collins
- Duke University, Durham
- Tulane University, New Orleans
- University of Alabama at Birmingham
- University of Chicago
- University of Medicine and Dentistry
of New Jersey, Newark
- University of Missouri-Columbia
- University of Pittsburgh
- University of Tennessee, Memphis
In February 2002, an outside panel of experts
provided guidance to NIAID on its biodefense research agenda
and identified the insufficient amount of biosafety level 3
(BSL-3) and BSL-4 lab space as a significant barrier to progress.
“With input from the scientific community,
we have crafted a biodefense research agenda emphasizing rapid
translation of basic findings into real products,” says
Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., NIAID director. “Although the
agenda is ambitious, America’s scientists have the commitment,
creativity and energy equal to the task. The new laboratories
will give these dedicated scientists space to conduct this critical
research, and equally important, they will be able to conduct
it safely.”
The overall objective of the NBL construction
program is to provide funding to design, construct and commission
comprehensive, state-of-the-art BSL-4, BSL-3 and BSL-2 laboratories,
as well as associated research and administrative support space;
the RBL construction program will provide funding for similar
facilities containing BSL-3 and BSL-2 labs. The BSL labs will
be designed and built using the strictest federal standards,
incorporating special engineering and design features to prevent
microorganisms from being released into the environment. Numerous
safety and decontamination features provide multiple layers
of protection for lab workers and the surrounding environment.
The NBL and RBL sites were selected based
on multiple factors, but primarily on the scientific and technical
merit of the applications as assessed by peer review and on
the applicant’s ability to contribute to the overall NIAID
biodefense research agenda. The NBLs and RBLs will complement
and support the research activities of NIAID’s recently
awarded Regional Centers of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging
Infectious Diseases Research. The biosafety labs also will be
available and prepared to assist national, state and local public
health efforts in the event of a bioterrorism or infectious
disease emergency.
NIAID is a component of the National Institutes
of Health (NIH), which is an agency of the Department
of Health and Human Services. NIAID supports basic and applied
research to prevent, diagnose and treat infectious and immune-mediated
illnesses, including HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted
diseases, illness from potential agents of bioterrorism, tuberculosis,
malaria, autoimmune disorders, asthma and allergies.
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Last Update:
July 2, 2009
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