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U.S. Grants Money for Bio Labs, Tularemia Vaccine
The U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases yesterday announced $87 million in grants for the construction of Biosafety Level 3 laboratories (see GSN, Sept. 9). The agency has also issued two five-year contracts totaling approximately $60 million for development of a tularemia vaccine, according to a press release. “Devising medical countermeasures against biological threats, whether they arise naturally or are the result of deliberate human action, is a top priority for NIAID,” said Director Anthony Fauci in the release. “These new awards support research needed to better understand and defend against disease-causing microbes and provide funds to construct facilities where such research can be performed safely.” The four laboratories will join nine others in the NIAID-funded Regional Biocontainment Laboratory Program. Grants are being distributed between George Mason University in Virginia, Tufts University in Massachusetts, the University of Louisville in Kentucky and the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The tularemia contracts were awarded to the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, and DVC, LLC in Frederick, Md. While the bacteria can usually be treated with antibiotics, experts fear that if aerosolized, tularemia could cause widespread illnesses and possibly death, according to the release (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases release, Oct. 3).
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