MT VET COBRE: PROJECT 1, TOXOPLASMA GONDII MOLEC BASIS HOST-PARASITE COMM

描述（由申请人提供）： 传染病仍然是全球主要死亡原因，也是美国第三大死亡原因。此外，有目的地向环境中释放高传染性病原体已成为国土安全问题的重要来源。许多对人类、牲畜和野生动物的健康很重要的高度传染性疾病都是人畜共患的。该 COBRE 应用程序的目标是在蒙大拿州立大学建立一个研究中心，该中心将为了解人畜共患疾病的发病机制做出重大的科学贡献。来自蒙大拿州立大学、蒙大拿大学和美国国立卫生研究院落基山实验室的高级传染病研究人员将成为该中心的核心。为了实现该提案的目标，描述了两个具体目标。第一个目标是增加密歇根州立大学和密歇根大学传染病研究人员的数量，以达到维持一个富有成效和有竞争力的研究中心所需的临界数量。这一目标将通过两种不同但互补的机制来实现。第一个是通过指导计划和资助研究项目来发展现有的初级教师。第二条途径将是通过支持和指导人畜共患疾病研究领域新聘用的 4 名终身教授。第二个目标是扩大蒙大拿州传染病研究项目的基础设施，使当前的研究人员和未来的新研究人员能够对人类、牲畜和野生动物的高传染性疾病进行研究。实现这一目标的方法是，首先通过翻新扩大密歇根州立大学有限的 BL3 设施。改造后的 BL3 设施将大大扩展湿实验室和小动物收容能力以及大型动物收容能力。其次，通过购买设备和资助支持人员，将向与拟议中心相关的研究人员提供流式细胞术、基因组学、蛋白质组学和 BL3 动物遏制领域的支持和指导服务。这一目标的实现将为人类、牲畜和野生动物的 BL3 疾病研究提供所需的专业和独特的设施，并为免疫疗法开发研究提供所需的技术。由于导师的专业知识、杰出的密歇根州立大学和密歇根大学机构支持（1,575,000 美元）以及人畜共患疾病研究的重要性和及时性，我们相信 COBRE 对这项提案的支持将产生一个将做出重大科学贡献的计划，从而建立一个可持续且可资助的中心。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Infectious diseases remain the leading cause of death worldwide and the third leading cause of death in the United States. In addition, purposeful release of highly infectious agents into the environment has become a significant source for concern in regard to homeland security. Many of the highly infectious diseases important to the health of man, livestock, and wildlife, are zoonotic. The goal of this COBRE application is to develop a Center of Research at Montana State University that will make significant scientific contributions to the knowledge of the pathogenesis of zoonotic diseases. Senior infectious disease researchers from Montana State University, University of Montana, and the NIH Rocky Mountain Labs will form the nucleus of the proposed Center. To achieve the goal of this proposal, two specific aims are described. The first aim is to increase the number of infectious disease investigators at MSU and UM in order to achieve the critical mass of researchers necessary to sustain a productive and competitive research center. This aim will be accomplished through two different, but complementary mechanisms. The first will be by the development of current junior faculty through a mentoring program and funding of their research projects. The second pathway will be through the support and mentoring of 4 new tenure track faculty hires in the area of zoonotic disease research. The second aim is to expand the infrastructure of the infectious disease research programs in Montana to make it possible for the current investigators and future new investigators to conduct research on highly infectious diseases of man, livestock, and wildlife. This aim will be accomplished by, firstly, expanding the limited BL3 facility at MSU through renovation. The renovated BL3 facility will have greatly expanded wet lab and small animal containment capability as well as the new capability of large animal containment. Secondly, through the purchase of equipment and funding of support personnel, support and mentoring services in the areas of flow cytometry, genomics, proteomics and BL3 animal containment will be made available to investigators associated with the proposed Center. Accomplishment of this aim will provide the specialized and unique facilities needed to carry out studies of BL3 diseases of man, livestock, and wildlife as well as to provide the technologies needed for research in development of immunotherapies. Because of the expertise of the Mentors, the outstanding MSU and UM Institutional support ($1,575,000), and the significance and timeliness of zoonotic disease research, we believe that COBRE support of this proposal will result in a program that will make significant scientific contributions and will, therefore, result in a sustainable and fundable Center.