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The MRCE is a network of scientists in Public Health Region VII which includes the states of Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri as well as representative institutions from Cleveland, Ohio. We are dedicated to supporting the NIAID's strategic plan of improving national defenses against bioterrorism and emerging infectious diseases. Our mission is to expand the scope and quality of research in biodefense and emerging infectious diseases in the region, with the goal of developing the next generation of diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics against selected biologic threats.
The events of September 11, 2001, and the deliberate bioterrorism attack with anthrax that followed led to profound changes in the biological research and public health agenda of the United States.The MRCE was funded in September 2003 as one of 10 national Regional Centers of Excellence whose work promises to produce both products and trained individuals which could be utilized in the event of a national emergency. NIAID understood that the United States lacked the research capacity and infrastructure to respond to the threat posed by biological weapons and emerging infectious diseases. The Regional Centers of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research (RCE) program was a central component of the NIAID response to this threat, and was designed to "jump-start" research in biodefense within the 10 public health service regions of the USA.
In 2003, Washington University, Saint Louis University, the University of Missouri-Columbia, Case Western Reserve University and the Midwest Research Institute received funding to establish the Midwest Regional Center of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research (MRCE) to support research in Public Health Region VII and parts of Cleveland, Ohio. The goals of the MRCE are consonant with the goals of the RCE program:
- Harness the best scientists in the region for discovery and translational research designed to lead to the next generation of therapeutics, diagnostics and vaccines for biological threats
- Provide training and career support to create a new generation of scientists working in the fields of biodefense and emerging infectious diseases
- Establish core facilities to support researchers throughout the region
- Develop an emergency response plan that can rapidly bring to bear our scientific expertise and research capacity in the event of a new biological threat to the region
Over the past 6 years the MRCE has made significant progress towards each of these goals. The MRCE now coordinates and supports a vibrant, highly collaborative and closely integrated group that has become the face of biodefense and emerging infectious diseases research throughout Region VII. MRCE programs have created a pool of talented young investigators interested in biodefense and emerging infectious diseases research. We have trained over 100 people how to work safely at BSL3 and have educated investigators and public health officials throughout the country. The MRCE Emergency Response Plan has played a role in responding to multiple emergencies and has become an integral part of disaster planning within our region. Most importantly, MRCE investigators have made seminal basic science and translational discoveries leading to new therapeutic targets for West Nile Virus, Dengue fever, pneumonic plague, Ebola, poxviruses and a wide-spectrum of RNA and DNA viruses. We have also initiated a pioneering collaborative effort in pathogen discovery and assessment that has led to the recognition of numerous viruses.
NIAID RCE Information
DHHS Region Map
Original NIAID Press Release
NIAID Biodefense and Related Programs