Administrative Core

拟建太平洋西北地区生物防御和新发传染病卓越中心 疾病研究(PNWRCE)汇集了一个具有广泛专业知识和 针对广泛的NIAID A-C类优先病原体的基础和翻译研究能力。 我们的研究活动旨在提供对病原体-宿主相互作用的更深入了解；如何 这些相互作用影响先天和获得性免疫反应；与年龄相关的免疫缺陷 导致免疫衰老和对传染病的易感性增加。生成的信息 这些活动将促进下一代疗法、诊断和疫苗的发展 对抗A-C类病原体。PNWRCE还将培训年轻的生物防御和研究人员 新发传染病研究，促进新研究项目的开发，并提供设施 以及在发生国家生物防御或新出现的传染性疾病时向第一线应急者提供科学支持 疾病急诊室。 研究主题 PNWRCE的研究活动由两个不同但相互关联的主题统一起来： 识别免疫系统中与年龄相关的缺陷，以促进 疫苗和补充疗法 和 使用系统生物学和系统遗传学方法来确定病原体与宿主的相互作用 和先天免疫和获得性免疫的机制 这些主题反映了PNWRCE调查人员的优势，旨在解决有意义的 公共卫生需求和当前RCE计划中的差距。特别是，我们对系统级方法的使用 我们对先天免疫和获得性免疫以及免疫衰老的关注提供了新的机会 治疗干预和加强当前疫苗战略的目标。此外，我们的研究 这些活动旨在将这些福利扩大到弱势群体，包括老年人，这代表着 美国社会中增长最快的部分。我们将重点放在病原体-宿主相互作用的宿主端 允许我们发现抗病毒产品的新细胞靶点，这些产品不太可能对逃逸敏感 通过病原体突变，更有可能产生广泛的作用。正如NIAID所概述的那样 生物防御研究战略计划(2007年更新)，广谱药物的开发，特别是 抗病毒药物，是NIAID的优先事项。我们还鼓励发展广谱平台，我们将 生成并提供可用于识别宿主的创新鼠标系统遗传学平台 对多种病原体的易感基因。广谱战略认识到范围的扩大 生物威胁和对更具响应性的生物防御能力的需求。在这方面，有一个紧迫的问题 需要针对许多A-C类病原体的疫苗，我们的研究将增强疫苗 发展战略，并为疫苗效力的早期评估提供新的方法 免疫相关基因组的鉴定。

The proposed Pacific Northwest Regional Center of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research (PNWRCE) brings together a consortium of investigators with extensive expertise and basic and translational research capacity directed at a broad range of NIAID Category A-C Priority Pathogens. Our research activities are aimed at providing a deeper understanding of pathogen-host interactions; how these interactions impact innate and adaptive immune responses; and the age-related defects in immunity that lead to immunosenescence and an increased vulnerability to infectious disease. The information generated from these activities will facilitate the development of next-generation therapeutics, diagnostics, and vaccines against Category A-C Pathogens. The PNWRCE will also train young investigators for biodefense and emerging infectious disease research, foster the development of new research programs, and provide facilities and scientific support to first-line responders in the event of a national biodefense or emerging infectious disease emergency. RESEARCH THEMES The research activities of the PNWRCE are unified by two distinct but interrelated themes: The identification of age-related defects in the immune system to facilitate the development of vaccines and supplemental therapies and The use of systems biology and systems genetics approaches to define pathogen-host interactions and mechanisms of innate and adaptive immunity These themes reflect the strengths of PNWRCE investigators and are geared toward addressing significant public health needs and gaps in the current RCE program. In particular, our use of systems-level approaches and our focus on innate and adaptive immunity and immunosenescence provide new opportunities to identify targets for therapeutic intervention and enhancements to current vaccine strategies. Moreover, our research activities are designed to extend these benefits to vulnerable populations, including the aged, which represents the fastest growing segment of American society. Our focus on the host side of pathogen-host interactions will allow us to discover new cellular targets for antiviral products that are less likely to be sensitive to escape through pathogen mutation and more likely to have a broad spectrum of action. As outlined in the NIAID Strategic Plan for Biodefense Research (2007 Update), the development of broad-spectrum drugs, particularly antivirals, is an NIAID priority. The development of broad-spectrum platforms is also encouraged, and we will generate and make available an innovative mouse systems genetics platform that can be used to identify host susceptibility alleles to a variety of pathogens. The broad-spectrum strategy recognizes the expanding range of biological threats and the need for a more responsive biodefense capability. In this regard, there is a pressing need for vaccines against many Category A-C Pathogens, and our research will enhance vaccine development strategies as well as provide new methods for the early evaluation of vaccine efficacy through the identification of genomic correlates of immunity.