Pandemic Preparedness: Biocontainment Facility Upgrade and Integration at UTMB/Galveston National Laboratory

项目概要/摘要 为了保持和改善大流行病的准备工作，我们建议进行增值设施升级， 更好地整合德克萨斯大学医学分支（UTMB）的高遏制社区， 加尔维斯顿。UTMB实验室通过联合设施管理、使用和协作来整合运营 这包括教育下一代研究科学家和医务人员。UTMB社区 包含了罗伯特·E Shope实验室（Shope）-美国大学内第一个全尺寸的BSL-4设施 美国，一个结构上独立的高安全壳加尔维斯顿国家实验室（GNL）和BSL 3 实验室的玛丽穆迪北馆（MMNP）。每个设施支持多个经验丰富，出版， 政府资助的研究人员研究具有大流行潜力的病原体， 疫苗和疗法的生物医学研究。我们的研究人员语料库包括31名专家在一个或多个 NIAID针对大流行准备的七种RNA病毒中的六种。所请求的金融 支持将在一个综合服务和业务系统内加强设施能力和安全 支持GNL在UTMB高封闭社区内的任务的功能。我们建议 加强系统集成，为所有UTMB高安全壳设施提供全面保护 打击网络攻击，同时改善工作流程、生物安全、生物安保和培训能力， 对某些陈旧的高防护区进行现代化改造，这些地区对大流行病应对工作也至关重要。 优先事项是升级用于高遏制RNA病毒研究的设备和支持性基础设施 在采购部件遇到困难之前，或 停工导致时间、资金和缓解准备损失。此外，我们还将采取具体措施， 基础设施的不足，以改善设施的运作。此外，作为未来教育的领导者， 高后果病原体的调查人员，GNL建议升级培训区，以更好地反映 BSL 4环境我们将通过三个目标实现这些目标：目标1：整合网络安全系统 在GNL隔离保护下，同时实现虚拟和物理结构的安全和安保现代化， UTMB高防护设施。目标2：实现UTMB综合使用设施和设备的现代化 研究界直接支持BSL 3和BSL 4 RNA研究高流行性病毒，或 武器化潜力目标3：实施大流行病防备工作，以便今后作出有效的战略反应 容量最终，系统、运营和培训的现代化和整合将更好地定位 UTMB作为全球研究领导者，致力于发现和开发针对高风险的解决方案， 结果病原体。该提议旨在加强安全和能力，以进一步支持 我们作为合作者、参考中心和资料库、机构模型和培训师的角色， 实施全球大流行病防备。

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Toward maintaining and improving pandemic preparedness, we propose value-added facility upgrades that better integrate the high-containment communities at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston. UTMB laboratories integrate operations through joint-facility management, usage, and collaborations that include educating the next generation of research scientists and medical staff. The UTMB community contains the Robert E. Shope Laboratory (Shope)—the first full-sized BSL-4 facility within a university in the United States, a structurally separate high-containment Galveston National Laboratory (GNL), and BSL3 laboratories of Mary Moody Northen Pavilion (MMNP). Each facility supports multiple experienced, published, and governmentally-funded investigators researching pathogens with pandemic potential, as well as facilitating biomedical research of vaccines and therapeutics. Our corpus of researchers includes 31 experts in one or more of six out of the seven RNA viruses of focus by NIAID toward Pandemic Preparedness. The requested financial support will enhance facility capabilities and security within an integrated system of services and operational functions that support the mandate of the GNL within the UTMB high-containment community. We propose to enhance integration of systems to provide a comprehensive protection of all UTMB high-containment facilities against cyberattack, while improving workflow, biosafety, biosecurity, and training capacities through modernization of specific antiquated high-containment areas that are also essential to pandemic responsivity. Of priority is to upgrade equipment and supportive infrastructure utilized in high-containment RNA viral research reaching “end-of-life” (EOL) or “end-of-service” (EOS), prior to experiencing difficulties procuring parts or having stoppage resulting in lost time, funds, and mitigating preparedness. Additionally, we will remedy specific infrastructural shortcomings to improve facility operations. Furthermore, as a leader in teaching the future investigators of high-consequence pathogens, the GNL proposes to upgrade a training area to better reflect the actual BSL4 environment. We will meet these goals through three Aims: Aim 1: Integrate cybersecurity systems under the GNL isolated protection, while modernizing safety and security of virtual and physical structures of UTMB high-containment facilities. Aim 2: Modernize facility and equipment of integrated usage among UTMB’s research community directly in support of BSL3 and BSL4 RNA research of viruses with high pandemic or weaponization potential. Aim 3: Implement pandemic preparedness toward effective future strategic response capacity. Ultimately, modernizations and integrations of systems, operations, and training will better position UTMB to contribute as a global research leader in discovery and development of solutions against high- consequence pathogens. This proposal is framed to provide enhanced security and capacities to further support our roles as collaborator, reference center and repository, institutional model, and trainer toward strategic implementation of a global pandemic preparedness.