Rocky Mountain Regional Center of Excellence or Biodefense and Emerging Infectiou

本申请建议继续位于第八区的落基山地区卓越中心（RMRCE）的生物防御和新兴传染病研究。 RMRCE由大学和联邦机构组成的高度一体化的联盟，与多个商业实体进行了重要的互动。 RMRCE自资助以来已经完成了三年，并且为了更新，计划建立在该计划过去努力中出现的优势，协同作用和新开发的专业知识的基础上。 更新后的研究计划将围绕三个综合研究重点（IRF）小组进行，目标是1）免疫调节，佐剂和疫苗; 2）细菌治疗; 3）病毒治疗。 公路联合会各小组的研究和产品开发工作将由五个科学核心提供便利。 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BSL 3设施，以便几乎完全使用病原体的毒性形式进行研究。 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。 单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一个强大的评估过程进行持续监测和管理，该过程包括NIH计划人员，多个机构的RMRCE领导和外部评审员的输入。 增加该计划的灵活性将是一个非常成功的发展研究项目资助计划的延续。 总的来说，RMRCE的目标概括为：1）继续开展以科研人员为指导的研究计划，解决生物防御和新兴传染病的基础和转化研究，包括未充分研究的选择代理; 2）提供职业发展和团体培训，利用RMRCE的优势; 3）利用综合科学核心设施，加快研究和产品开发活动; 4）通过强有力的项目评估程序和发展研究项目计划的持续，实现计划的灵活性和响应能力; 5）建立一个基于RMRCE资源的紧急响应计划，并由一个人管理。

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.