University Prepares New Disease Research Center

Construction began last week at George Mason University in Virginia on a new center to research infectious diseases that could spread naturally or through acts of biological terrorism, the Manassas Journal Messenger reported (see GSN, Sept. 9, 2005).

Operations at the 53,000-square-foot Biomedical Research Laboratory in Prince William County are expected to begin in fall 2009.  The facility is intended to include a Biosafety Level 3 laboratory and would be among 13 biocontainment laboratories being built in the United States. 

It would be used for animal studies of vaccines and other countermeasures against airborne disease particles, particularly anthrax, plague and other potential bioterrorism threats.

“The events of 2001 unfortunately provided a stark emphasis to the vulnerability that we as a nation and as a global community face to deliberate threats in multiple forms,” Michael Kurilla of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said at a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday.  “Subsequently in 2003 with SARS and in 2005 with avian flu, we have seen how the limitations in our public health preparedness further emphasize vulnerability that needed to be addressed.”

The federal agency provided $25 million for the facility, which was matched by $15.3 million from the university and another $2.5 million in state funds for land acquisition (Elisa Glushefski, Manassas Journal Messenger, Sept. 28).

Meanwhile, the Sandia National Laboratories/California is developing a portable device that would allow emergency responders to quickly determine if a person has been exposed to a biological agent, Inside Bay Area reported Saturday.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases provided $3.2 million for the project to develop a 7-pound sensor that would test a small amount of blood for toxins such as botulinum or shiga.  Results when screening even for multiple toxins could be ready on-site in 10 minutes, compared to the hours now needed for testing at a laboratory.  That would allow responders to more quickly determine the appropriate medical care needed for a patient.

“National security used to be defending against nuclear weapons and things like that,” said chemical engineer Anup Singh.  “Now the scenario has changed a lot and that means defending against chemical and biological terrorism.”

“Our goal is to have this available wherever responders are going to be,” he added.

The laboratory expects to submit the device for approval by the Food and Drug Administration within five years (Betsy Mason, Inside Bay Area, Sept. 29).

Back to top
About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines © Copyright 2008 by National Journal Group, Inc. The material in this section is produced independently for NTI by National Journal Group, Inc. Any reproduction or retransmission, in whole or in part, is a violation of federal law and is strictly prohibited without the consent of the National Journal Group, Inc. All rights reserved.