Rocky Mountain Regional Center of Excellence or Biodefense and Emerging Infectiou

该申请提议继续设立位于第八区的生物防御和新兴传染病研究的落基山区域卓越中心（RMRCE）。RMRCE由一个高度整合的大学和联邦机构组成，与多个商业实体有重要的互动。RMRCE项目自获得资助以来已经完成了三年的工作，为了续期，计划利用该项目过去的努力所产生的优势、协同效应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）小组开展：1)免疫调节、佐剂和疫苗的专题研究工作；2)细菌治疗；3)病毒疗法。IRF小组的研究和产品开发工作将得到五个科学核心的促进。研究工作将针对各种美国国立卫生研究院a - c类病原体，并将利用该地区广泛的BSL3设施，以便几乎完全用毒性形式的病原体进行研究。RMRCE的培训目标将包括一个类似于NIH k奖的竞争性职业发展计划，以及生物安全和产品开发方面的团体培训工作。单个项目和核心的进展，以及整个项目的进展和协同作用，将通过一个强大的评估过程进行持续监测和管理，该评估过程包括来自NIH项目人员、来自多个机构的RMRCE领导和外部审稿人的投入。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。RMRCE的总体目标总结为：1)继续开展研究者指导的研究项目，解决生物防御和新发传染病的基础和转化研究，包括未充分研究的精选药物；2)提供职业发展和团队培训，发挥RMRCE的优势；3)利用整合良好的科学核心设施，加快研究和产品开发活动；4)通过强有力的项目评估过程和发展研究项目的延续，实现项目的灵活性和响应能力；5)建立以RMRCE资源为基础并由单个人员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.