SERCEB Southeast Regional Centers of Excellence for Bio*

描述（由申请人提供）：区域IV RCE是东南地区新发感染和生物防御卓越中心或SERCEB。SERCEB统一了第四区的主要研究机构，并与田纳西州橡树岭的橡树岭国家实验室、佐治亚州亚特兰大的疾病控制和预防中心以及美国国立卫生研究院的疫苗研究中心建立了合作关系。SERCEB的目标是开发新的疫苗、治疗方法和诊断方法，以更好地保护国家免受潜在的生物恐怖主义威胁。这将通过使用前沿科学的跨学科和合作研究来实现。主要研究重点是正痘病毒、炭疽芽孢杆菌和鼠疫耶尔森氏菌的新型疫苗开发，每个项目都由国际知名的研究人员团队领导（项目1,3,4和5）。两个免疫学项目将与疫苗项目协同作用：项目6将制定策略来调节先天免疫，以增强对选定药剂和疫苗的免疫反应，项目7将制定策略，以增强对选定药剂和疫苗的适应性T和B免疫反应。新药开发将包括现有化合物的快速筛选和针对正痘病毒（计划2）的全新药物的开发，以及针对先天免疫（计划6）、炭疽（计划5）和鼠疫杆菌（计划4）的治疗方法。多个精密核心将为疫苗、药物和诊断试剂的开发提供强有力的帮助。SERCEB还将通过结合教育项目、支持创新项目以及在国内相关研究领域一些最优秀的研究人员之间的协同作用，帮助引进新的研究人员参与生物防御工作。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Region IV RCE is the Southeastern Regional Center of Excellence in Emerging Infections and Biodefense or SERCEB. SERCEB has unified the major research institutions in Region IV, and has established collaborations with Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, TN, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, and the Vaccine Research Center at the NIH. The goals of SERCEB are to develop new vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics to better protect the nation against potential bioterrorist threats. This will be accomplished by interdisciplinary and collaborative research using cutting edge science. A major research focus is on novel vaccine development for orthopoxviruses, Bacillus anthracis and Yersinia pestis, with each program led by a team of internationally renowned investigators (Programs 1, 3, 4, and 5). Two immunology programs will interact synergistically with the vaccine programs: Program 6 will develop strategies to modulate innate immunity to enhance immune responses to select agents and vaccines, and Program 7 will develop strategies to enhance adaptive T and B immune responses to select agents and vaccines. New drug development will include rapid screening of existing compounds and development of entirety novel drugs against orthopoxviruses (Program 2), as well as therapeutics directed at innate immunity (Program 6), Anthrax (Program 5), and Yersinia pestis (Program 4). Multiple sophisticated cores will provide powerful assistance for development of vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics. SERCEB also will help to bring new investigators to the biodefense effort, through a combination of educational programs, support of innovative new projects, and synergistic interactions among some of the best investigators in relevant research in the nation.