Rocky Mountain Regional Center of Excellence or Biodefense and Emerging Infectiou

该申请提议继续位于第八区的落基山地区生物防御和新发传染病研究卓越中心 (RMRCE)。 RMRCE 由大学和联邦机构组成的高度整合的联盟组成，与多个商业实体有密切的互动。 RMRCE 自资助以来已完成三年，为了更新，计划利用该计划过去的努力所产生的优势、协同作用和新开发的专业知识。 新的研究计划将围绕三个综合研究重点（IRF）小组进行，这些小组的主题研究工作涉及：1）免疫调节、佐剂和疫苗； 2）细菌疗法； 3）病毒疗法。 IRF 小组的研究和产品开发工作将由五个科学核心来促进。 研究工作将针对各种 NIH A-C 类病原体，并将利用该地区广泛的 BSL3 设施，以便研究几乎完全针对病原体的有毒形式进行。 RMRCE 的培训目标将包括类似于 NIH K 奖的竞争性职业发展计划以及生物安全和产品开发的团体培训工作。 各个项目和核心的进展以及整个计划的进展和协同作用将通过强大的评估流程持续监测和管理，该评估流程包括 NIH 计划人员、多个机构的 RMRCE 领导层和外部评审员的意见。 为发展研究项目提供资助的非常成功的计划的延续将增加该计划的灵活性。 总体而言，RMRCE 的目标概括为：1）继续开展由研究者主导的研究项目，解决生物防御和新出现的传染病的基础和转化研究，包括尚未充分研究的精选药物； 2) 提供职业发展和团体培训，发挥 RMRCE 的优势； 3）利用集成良好的科学核心设施来加速研究和产品开发活动； 4) 通过强有力的项目评估流程和发展研究项目计划的延续，实现计划的灵活性和响应能力； 5) 建立基于 RMRCE 资源并由个人管理的应急响应计划。

This application proposes to continue the Rocky Mountain Regional Center of Excellence (RMRCE) for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research located in Region VIII. The RMRCE consists of a highly integrated consortium of universities and federal agencies with significant interactions with multiple commercial entities. The RMRCE has completed three years since funding, and for the renewal, plans to build upon the strengths, synergies, and newly developed expertise that have emerged from the past efforts of this program. The renewed research program will be centered around three integrated research focus (IRF) groups that target the thematic research efforts on 1) immunomodulation, adjuvants and vaccines; 2) bacterial therapeutics; and 3) viral therapeutics. The research and product development efforts of the IRF groups will be facilitated by five scientific cores. Research efforts will be directed at a variety of NIH Category A-C pathogens and will exploit the extensive BSL3 facilities within the region so that studies will be performed almost entirely with virulent forms of the pathogens. Training objectives of the RMRCE will include a competitive career development program structured similar to the NIH K-awards and group training efforts for biosafety and product development. The progress of individual projects and cores, as well as the progress and synergy of the overall program will be continually monitored and managed via a robust evaluation process that encompasses input from NIH program personnel, RMRCE leadership from multiple institutions, and external reviewers. Adding to the flexibility of this program will be the continuation of a highly successful program for the funding of Developmental Research Projects. Overall the goals of the RMRCE are summarized as: 1) continue investigator-directed research programs that address basic and translational research for biodefense and emerging infectious diseases, including understudied Select Agents; 2) provide career development and group training that exploits the strengths of the RMRCE; 3) utilize well integrated scientific core facilities to accelerate research and product development activities; 4) enable programmatic flexibility and responsiveness through a strong project evaluation process and continuation of a program for Developmental Research Projects; and 5) establish an emergency response program that is based on the resources of the RMRCE and that is managed by a single individual.