2009-11-13
Application deadline: December 1, 2009
Start-up funding available: January 1, 2010
Full funding start date: March 1, 2010
2009-11-02
Application Deadline: December 15, 2009
Funding Start-date: March 1, 2010
2009-11-02
Dr. Alex Garza, MD
Assistant Secretary for Heath Affairs and Chief Medical Officer
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
November 18, 2009, 5:00 PM
Connor Auditorium Farrell Learning and Teaching Center
2009-10-05
Biosafety for the Research Scientist Course
Coursemaster: Susan Cook, PhD
Tuition: Free!
When: October 5-7, 2009
Where: Washington University School of Medicine
2009-06-09
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, today announced renewed funding for 10 previously established Regional Centers of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research (RCE). NIAID also awarded funds to Oregon Health & Science University to establish a new RCE to be based in the Pacific Northwest. NIAID funding for the 11 RCEs totals up to approximately $455 million over five years.
2009-03-25
Michael Gale, Jr., PhD to speak on
2008-08-05
Program August through December, 2008
2008-02-12
The NBBTP Biocontainment Course will be held from March 3-7, 2008, Manhattan, KS. For more information about the course,
please contact Scott Handley by e-mail shandley@id.wustl.edu
2007-10-16
The
Western RCE will be hosting a
one-day workshop titled "Analysis of Antigens of Intracellular Bacteria for Biodefense
Research: Prospects for Establishing Collaborations" on January 25, 2007.
The workshop will focus only on Brucella, Rickettsia, and Coxiella spp. because
of the paucity of RCE researchers in these fields. The purpose of the workshop is
to give participants an overview of:
1) the state-of-the-field with regard to mechanisms of immunity;
2) the state-of-the-field with regard to vaccine development; and
3) the deficiencies of current serologic detection using bacterial antigenic components.
These topics will be addressed individually by a keynote speaker and serve as the basis
of roundtable discussions that follow.
Our objective is to engage researchers who are currently working with these agents,
or researchers who do not work with these agents but have similar research interests
and who are looking to establish new collaborations or enter the field. RCE
researchers who have developed platform technologies involving the diagnosis,
treatment, or vaccine development of NIAID Category B and C bacteria and who are
looking for subject matter experts with whom to partner may be interested in
attending. Participants may not be funded through an RCE, as the intent is to
stimulate interest in and awareness of opportunities in biodefense research.
The one-day workshop will be held on the campus of the University of Texas Medical
Branch in Galveston at the Open Gates Conference Center. Details will be forthcoming
and registration for the workshop will be through the WRCE web site at
http://www.rcebiodefense.org/rce6/rce6pub.htm.
2007-07-05
Recent research done in collaboration with MRCE investigators at Washington University
and St. Louis University have identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that
underlie susceptibility to fever after smallpox vaccination. The study's results raise
the possibility that the SNPs linked to fever following smallpox vaccination may also
influence fever risk following vaccination with other live-virus vaccines. Fever is a
common side-effect from the childhood measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. This
discovery resulted in a collaborative research effort between Dr. Samuel L.
Stanley Jr.’s laboratory at Washington University and Drs. Robert Belshe and Sharon
Frey at St. Louis University. The study results are published in the July 15, 2007
issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases.
An interview about the article can be downloaded
here.
2007-06-27
The MRCE Clinical/Translational Fellowship Program is designed to prepare new MDs for a
physician-scientist career by supporting a combination of coursework and clerkship
learning experiences. It will also support PhDs doing postdoctoral research related to
Biodefense or emerging infectious diseases.
Click here to download application forms.
For further information contact Scott Handley at shandley@id.wustl.edu,
(314) 286-0192, or our website at
http://mrce.wustl.edu.
2007-06-01
The next
Biosafety for the Research Scientist course will be held at the Eric P.
Newman Center on September 17-21, 2007. Applications are due August 17,
2007. Join us for advanced training on a variety of biosafety issues, from
BSL3 management to risk assessment scenarios. For more information about the
course, please click the link below.
Biosafety Course Info
2007-04-15
The deadline for submission of applications for the Veterinary Fellowship program has
been extended to April 30, 2007. For further information about this program, please
see the
Veterinary Fellowship Program
web-page.
2007-02-07
The MRCE awarded a fellowship to area investigator Dr. Brian Edelson through its Clinical/Translational Fellowship Program. The fellowship will support Dr. Edelson's ongoing work on understanding the development and heterogeneity of innate immune cells. His work will be carried out under the mentorship of Washington University School of Medicine investigator Dr. Kenneth M. Murphy.
2007-02-02
The 5th Annual ASM Biodefense Research Meeting will be held in Washington, DC, February 27 - March 2, 2007. The purpose of this meeting is to bring together individuals carrying out research to defend against the growing threat of bioterrorism and decision makers shaping the future biodefense research agenda, recognizing that many of the agents identified and studied also cause naturally occurring disease. The meeting is intended for scientists, public health researchers, and policy makers, and will include talks presenting research on biothreat agents, vaccines, detection and diagnostic procedures, animal and plant pathogens, biosecurity facilities, global surveillance, training for BL3 and BL4 labs, and other topics. Abstracts for the meeting are due November 16, 2006. More information, registration, and abstract submission are available online
here.
2007-02-02
Recent research from the laboratory of MRCE Developmental Project Investigator
Dr. William Goldman and MRCE Clinical Translational fellow Dr. Wyndham Lathem
has shown that the plasminogen activator Pla is essential for Yersinia pestis
to cause primary pneumonic plague but is less important for dissemination during
pneumonic plague than during bubonic plague. Their results suggest that
inhibition of Pla during primary pneumonic plague may prolong the survival of the
affected individual, expanding the window during which antibiotics could be
successfully administered to treat the disease. The results are published in
the January issue of
Science.
A recent press release of the article can be found
here.
2007-01-16
Recent research from the laboratory of MRCE Strategic Project Investigator
Dr. Herbert Virgin
has identified a role for the interferon stimulated gene 15 (ISG15) in combating
infection by flu, herpes and the SindBis virus. The results are published this
week in the online edition of
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
A recent press release of the article can be found
here.
2006-10-16
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Scott A. Handley has join the MRCE as our new Senior Project Manager.
Dr. Handley is an outstanding young scientist who just completed his doctoral work. Please join us in welcoming Scott into the MRCE group.
You may direct your questions or comments to Dr. Handley at (314) 286-0192 or shandley@mrce.wustl.edu.
2006-09-19
The center has released a call for applications to its 2006 New Opportunities
funding program.
The MRCE will apply to NIAID for additional funds to support projects within the Center. These "New
Opportunities" funds are not part of the MRCE's original budget, but are intended to fund new
components and activities of the RCEs. The funds will be applied to objectives such as: enhancing the
capabilities of the Centers and the Biodefense Network, encouraging inter-Center activities, and
providing additional research, development, and training opportunities. Since one of the goals for all
RCEs is to develop vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics that are targeted to the Category A-C
agents, projects directly related to achieving this goal will be given high priority. Projects exhibiting
real novelty and genuine innovation will also be given extra consideration.
Applications for New Opportunities funds may include any of the following specific areas, but others
may be acceptable. Please contact Dr. Samuel L. Stanley, Jr., MRCE Director, at 314-286-0432 or
biodefense@id.wustl.edu to discuss whether this funding mechanism is suitable for your project idea.
Applications due November 1, 2006
New Opportunities Application Instructions
2006-08-23
Each of the 10 RCEs in collaboration with select industry and NIAID leaders have formed a committee to assist with the evaluation of specific product development plans via a biyearly meeting in Bethesda MD. The committee met for the first time in August and is planning to meet again in November or December of this year. At each meeting, one product development concept description per RCE will be reviewed and discussed. Investigators in Region VII are invited to submit a concept description for submission to the RCE Product Development Working Group. If you have previously submitted a concept to the MRCE, it will be evaluated for its suitability for presentation, and can be re-submitted if you have substantial progress to report.
Additional information and instructions can be found in the concept document below.
NOTE: Concepts must be received at the MRCE by September 7.
URL For Further Information:
product development concept proposals
2006-05-06
The next Biosafety for the Research Scientist course will be held at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel on September 18-22, 2006. Applications are due August 18, 2006. Join us for advanced training on a variety of biosafety issues, from BSL3 management to risk assessment scenarios. For more information about the course, please click the link below.
URL For Further Information:
Biosafety Course Info
2006-08-01
The center has released a call for applications to its 2006 Developmental Project funding program. Letters of intent are due November 1, 2006, with full applications due November 29, 2006. The center seeks to support innovative ideas and projects which are focused on NIAID category A agents and product development. Applicants must be at faculty level and from the region, and are encouraged to contact Projects Manager Jennie Lovett prior to submission to determine suitability for this funding program.
Download RFA (pdf)
2006-06-28
The organizers of the 2007 National RCE Meeting in St. Louis on April 15-17 want feedback on agenda ...
2006-06-14
To view MRCE Emergency Response Associate Director Steven Lawrence's update on the current status of avian flu that took place on June 14 at Washington University, please click
HERE. If you wish to download a copy of the MS PowerPoint slides used in the presentation, please click the link below.
URL For Further Information:
lecture PowerPoint Slides
2006-07-01
Each of the 10 RCEs in collaboration with select industry and NIAID leaders have formed a committee to assist with the evaluation of specific product development plans via a biyearly meeting in Bethesda MD. The first meeting will take place in early August 2006, where one product development concept description per RCE will be reviewed.
Investigators in Region VII are invited to submit a concept description for submission to the RCE Product Development Working Group. Additional information and instructions can be found in the link below.
NOTE: Concepts must be received by June 12.
URL For Further Information:
product development concept proposals