PRESS RELEASES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, September 30, 2003

National Institutes of Health Press Release
Media Contact:NIAID Press Office
(301) 402-1663
niaidnews@niaid.nih.gov

NIAID Funds Construction of Biosafety Laboratories

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, today announced funding for the construction of two National Biocontainment Laboratories (NBLs) and nine Regional Biocontainment Laboratories (RBLs). “These awards to build high-level biosafety facilities are a major step towards being able to provide Americans with effective therapies, vaccines and diagnostics for diseases caused by agents of bioterror as well as for naturally occurring emerging infections such as SARS and West Nile virus,” says Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson.

One-time grants of approximately $120 million each will fund construction of the NBLs, while the RBLs will receive one-time grants of between $7 and $21 million each in construction funds. Each institution is also required to provide matching funds.

In February 2002, an outside panel of experts provided guidance to NIAID on its biodefense research agenda and identified the insufficient amount of biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) and BSL-4 lab space as a significant barrier to progress.

“With input from the scientific community, we have crafted a biodefense research agenda emphasizing rapid translation of basic findings into real products,” says Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., NIAID director. “Although the agenda is ambitious, America’s scientists have the commitment, creativity and energy equal to the task. The new laboratories will give these dedicated scientists space to conduct this critical research, and equally important, they will be able to conduct it safely.”

The overall objective of the NBL construction program is to provide funding to design, construct and commission comprehensive, state-of-the-art BSL-4, BSL-3 and BSL-2 laboratories, as well as associated research and administrative support space; the RBL construction program will provide funding for similar facilities containing BSL-3 and BSL-2 labs. The BSL labs will be designed and built using the strictest federal standards, incorporating special engineering and design features to prevent microorganisms from being released into the environment. Numerous safety and decontamination features provide multiple layers of protection for lab workers and the surrounding environment.

The NBL and RBL sites were selected based on multiple factors, but primarily on the scientific and technical merit of the applications as assessed by peer review and on the applicant’s ability to contribute to the overall NIAID biodefense research agenda. The NBLs and RBLs will complement and support the research activities of NIAID’s recently awarded Regional Centers of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research (see http://www.niaid.nih.gov/newsroom/releases/HHS_RCE.htm).  The biosafety labs also will be available and prepared to assist national, state and local public health efforts in the event of a bioterrorism or infectious disease emergency.

NIAID is a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIAID supports basic and applied research to prevent, diagnose and treat infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections, influenza, tuberculosis, malaria and illness from potential agents of bioterrorism. NIAID also supports research on transplantation and immune-related illnesses, including autoimmune disorders, asthma and allergies.

Tulane Receives $13.6 Million for Biosafety Lab

September 30, 2003

Fran Simon
Telephone: (504) 988-3663
fsimon@tulane.edu

Tulane University has received a $13.6 million grant to construct a new building at the Tulane National Primate Research Center where scientists will develop treatments and vaccines for emerging infectious diseases and germs that bioterrorists may use to attack the United States. The funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of the National Institutes of Health, will be used to build a Regional Biocontainment Laboratory. The largest of the eight national primate centers, Tulane is the only one to receive this funding.

Tulane University President Scott S. Cowen says the multi-million dollar grant is critically important as the United States continues to improve its defenses against bioterrorism. “The fact that Tulane University is being awarded this grant acknowledges that our scientists are among those at the forefront of this area of research. The senior leaders of the health sciences center and the primate center have worked very hard to establish Tulane’s expertise in this field and their efforts are being recognized nationally.”

“Tulane University will supplement the initial award with an investment of almost $5 million”, says Paul Whelton, senior vice president for health sciences at Tulane. Tulane anticipates additional NIH funding to purchase cutting-edge equipment. Tulane scientists and the NIAID have agreed to a 20-year cooperative agreement in which they will collaborate on projects related to biodefense and emerging infectious diseases.

“This grant provides the funding for a larger, state-of-the-art laboratory where our scientists and collaborators from the National Institutes of Health and other academic institutions can study ways to protect the nation from misuse of disease agents by terrorists,” says Whelton. “The grant represents an economic boon for our area by bringing many high-paying new jobs here.”

“The Tulane National Primate Research Center has had a nationally acclaimed infectious diseases research program since its founding in 1964 and a biosafety level 3 laboratory for about a decade”, says Andrew Lackner, the center’s director. Located on about 500 acres of land 35 miles north of New Orleans in Covington, the primate center currently employs about 220 people, including 27 doctoral-level scientists, and houses about 5,000 nonhuman primates.

“Our research programs have grown dramatically,” Lackner says. “This new regional biosafety lab will expand greatly our existing biocontainment capabilities to support the recently funded Regional Centers of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research.”

The infectious diseases program at the Tulane National Primate Research Center currently focuses on HIV/AIDS, malaria, Lyme disease, West Nile virus, tuberculosis, microsporidiosis and other diseases. These are multidisciplinary studies involving investigators in multiple divisions at the primate center and collaborators from elsewhere at Tulane and other institutions. The Tulane Regional Biocontainment Laboratory plans research projects investigating additional infectious diseases, including SARS, botulism, plague, tularemia and brucellosis.

NOTE: The original $13.6 million award has been increased by NIH to $21 million.