Middle Atlantic Regional Center for Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infect

描述（由申请人提供）：中大西洋区域卓越中心（MARCE）建议利用和集中我们地区机构内的科学独创性，创新和研究人员经验的非凡财富，以支持对一系列NIAID新兴和A-C类病原体的研究。MARCE研究计划的主题是“新兴的病原体-宿主相互作用”。在这一主题下，我们提出了六个研究计划，重点研究：特定的新兴病毒（计划I和II）;有针对性的呼吸道和肠道细菌病原体（计划III和IV，分别）;选择或新兴代理毒素（计划V）;和，开发新的诊断技术来检测这些选定的生物体或毒素（计划VI）。每个计划包含五个或六个高度合作的研究项目，来自中大西洋地区三个或更多机构的研究人员。总的来说，MARCE中的十个不同机构是一个或多个研究项目的所在地，另外六个机构在这些MARCE项目，培训活动或核心资源上主持合作者。这些方案有意建立在跨机构合作的基础上，反映了MARCE促进的高度包容性。在我们的第一个资助期内，我们将追求一个平衡的研究议程，包括非常基础的研究，涉及潜在产品的明确转化研究和临床研究，所有这些研究的最终目标都是产生新的或改进的治疗，预防或诊断产品。我们的研究计划得到了一系列培训活动的支持，其中包括一系列在我们的第一个资助期内非常受欢迎的新颖课程。一个强有力的职业发展计划将使一批聪明、积极、年轻的科学家进入生物防御和新兴传染病研究的广泛领域。我们的发展研究计划旨在将新项目，研究人员和机构纳入现有的MARCE计划，并强调创新概念，新技术和“高风险”机会，这些机会展示了生物防御和新兴传染病研究领域“高产”新成果的潜力。当我们严格的内部和外部评估系统，导致在不断更换项目，以解决我们的战略使命在过去五年中，MARCE将代表一个创新的，充满活力和灵活的研究计划，非常适合对新兴的病原体-宿主相互作用的基础研究转化为治疗和疫苗的目标和产品。 相关性：MARCE建议利用和集中我们地区机构内的科学独创性，创新和研究人员经验的非凡财富，以支持对一系列NIAID新兴和A-C类病原体的研究。这些集体努力所产生的科学信息和转化研究能力将最终产生新的或改进的治疗、预防或诊断产品，造福于公众健康。 战略管理课程：战略计划和管理（项目负责人，M。Levine）] 战略管理说明（由申请人提供）： 在新千年的第一个十年中发生的事件使美国的公民社会、国家、州和地方各级政府以及科学和医学界认识到，他们必须努力应对威胁美国人口的两大传染病威胁：“新出现的感染”和蓄意制造恐怖的邪恶个人故意释放病原体。总的来说，我们已经了解到，在某些条件下可能会出现多种病原体，威胁公众的健康，同样，如果生物恐怖分子计划故意释放，他们也可以获得一系列病原体。这使人们认识到，有必要制定基础广泛的办法来预防、诊断和治疗传染病。中大西洋区域卓越中心（MARGE）建议在第二个供资周期中利用和集中我们区域机构内的非凡科学独创性，创新和调查经验，以解决这些问题，并为合理发展奠定基础广泛的预防，治疗和诊断干预措施。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Middle Atlantic Regional Center of Excellence (MARCE) proposes to harness and focus the extraordinary wealth of scientific ingenuity, innovation, and investigator experience that resides within the institutions in our region to support research on an array of NIAID Emerging and Category A-C pathogens. The over-arching theme for the MARCE Research Programs is "Emerging pathogen-host interactions". Under this theme, we propose six Research Programs that are centered on the study of: specific emerging viruses (Programs I and II); targeted respiratory and enteric bacterial pathogens (Programs III and IV, respectively); Select or Emerging Agent toxins (Program V); and, development of novel diagnostic technologies to detect these chosen organisms or toxins (Program VI). Each Program contains five or six highly collaborative Research Projects from investigators at three or more institutions within the Middle Atlantic region. In all, ten different institutions in the MARCE are home to one or more of the Research Projects, and six additional institutions host collaborators on these MARCE projects, training activities, or core resources. That the Programs were intentionally founded on cross-institutional collaborations reflects the high degree of inclusiveness fostered by MARCE. As during our first funding period, we will pursue a balanced research agenda that includes a mix of very basic research, clear translational research involving potential products and clinical research that all aim, ultimately, to result in new or improved therapeutic, preventive or diagnostic products. Our Research Programs are supported by an array of training activities including a series of novel courses that were exceptionally well attended during our first funding period. A robust Career Development Program will bring a cadre of bright, motivated, young scientists into the broad area of biodefense and emerging infectious diseases research. Our Developmental Research Plan is designed to incorporate new projects, investigators, and institutions into the existing MARCE program and to emphasize innovative concepts, new technologies, and "high-risk" opportunities that demonstrate potential for "high-yield" novel results in the area of biodefense and emerging infectious diseases research. When coupled with our rigorous internal and external evaluation system that has resulted in continual replacement of projects to address our strategic mission over the past five years, the MARCE will represent an innovative, vibrant and flexible research program well suited to the translation of basic research on emerging pathogen-host interactions into therapeutic and vaccine targets and products. RELEVANCE: The MARCE proposes to harness and focus the extraordinary wealth of scientific ingenuity, innovation, and investigator experience that resides within the institutions in our region to support research on an array of NIAID Emerging and Category A-C pathogens. Scientific information and translational research capacity resulting from these collective efforts will ultimately result in new or improved therapeutic, preventive or diagnostic products for the benefit of public heath. STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PLAN: Strategic Plan and Management (Project Leader, M. Levine)] STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PLAN DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Events that occurred in the first decade of the millennium have led civil society, governments at national, state and local levels, and the scientific and medical communities in the United States to recognize that they must grapple with two broad infectious diseases threats that menace the U.S. population: "emerging infections" and the deliberate release of pathogens by nefarious individuals bent on causing terror. Collectively, we have learned that diverse pathogens can emerge under certain conditions to threaten the public's health and that, similarly, an array of pathogens are available to bioterrorists, should they plan a deliberate release. This has led to a realization of the desirability of developing broad-based approaches to prevent, diagnose and treat infectious diseases. The Middle Atlantic Regional Center of Excellence (MARGE) proposes during a second cycle of funding to harness and focus the extraordinary wealth of scientific ingenuity, innovation and investigator experience that resides within the institutions in our region to address these issues and to lay the foundation for the rational development of broad-based preventive, therapeutic and diagnostic interventions.