G20AI167404

Facility Upgrade for the New England Regional Biosafety Laboratory - Project Summary

The New England Regional Biosafety Laboratory (NERBL) was established in 2007 on the Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine (TU CSVM) North Grafton MA campus. This facility was originally designed for research on emerging infectious diseases under BSL2 and BSL3 conditions; to support animal model ABSL3 studies; and to allow local and regional investigators access to biocontainment facilities that were not available within their home institutions.

Over the past 13+ years, the NERBL has effectively served as an important resource for researchers across TU as well as a variety of external stakeholders, including industry sponsors. However, several constraints have begun to hamper growth and sustainability of its mission. These include outdated and/or non-functional laboratory equipment, poor efficiencies and workflow in the vivarium spaces, and aging building systems that represent safety and operational concerns.

As such, the central purpose of this application is to upgrade our existing facility, particularly its foundational operating systems, and to modernize the vivarium and laboratory spaces with state-of-the-art technologies. To accomplish this, we will:

1) Upgrade the building automation system, HVAC actuators/filters/valves, facility lighting and electrical systems, and communication platforms;

2) Modernize and expand the vivarium with new ventilated rack systems that accommodate disposable caging for small animals to reduce costs and improve efficiencies, purchase a BioBubble containment system to facilitate studies using larger animals, and implement telemetry for remote monitoring of animals;

3) Replace obsolete laboratory equipment with modern counterparts for high throughput in containment, permitting each BSL3 laboratory to be fully equipped and functionally independent, thereby maximizing research output, workflow, and user safety;

4) Improve critical laboratory safety systems with technology upgrades that provide redundancy for decontamination and waste inactivation.

Completion of these specific aims will ensure that the NERBL continues to advance emerging infectious disease research for the next decade. We will expand access for investigators performing cutting-edge studies by leveraging advanced laboratory methods and animal models in a safe, secure, and technologically sound environment.

Trustees Of Tufts College

TO ASSIST PUBLIC AND PRIVATE NONPROFIT INSTITUTIONS AND INDIVIDUALS TO ESTABLISH, EXPAND AND IMPROVE BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH AND RESEARCH TRAINING IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND RELATED AREAS, TO CONDUCT DEVELOPMENTAL RESEARCH, TO PRODUCE AND TEST RESEARCH MATERIALS. TO ASSIST PUBLIC, PRIVATE AND COMMERCIAL INSTITUTIONS TO CONDUCT DEVELOPMENTAL RESEARCH, TO PRODUCE AND TEST RESEARCH MATERIALS, TO PROVIDE RESEARCH SERVICES AS REQUIRED BY THE AGENCY FOR PROGRAMS IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES, AND CONTROLLING DISEASE CAUSED BY INFECTIOUS OR PARASITIC AGENTS, ALLERGIC AND IMMUNOLOGIC DISEASES AND RELATED AREAS. PROJECTS RANGE FROM STUDIES OF MICROBIAL PHYSIOLOGY AND ANTIGENIC STRUCTURE TO COLLABORATIVE TRIALS OF EXPERIMENTAL DRUGS AND VACCINES, MECHANISMS OF RESISTANCE TO ANTIBIOTICS AS WELL AS RESEARCH DEALING WITH EPIDEMIOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS IN HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS OR COMMUNITY POPULATIONS AND PROGRESS IN ALLERGIC AND IMMUNOLOGIC DISEASES. BECAUSE OF THIS DUAL FOCUS, THE PROGRAM ENCOMPASSES BOTH BASIC RESEARCH AND CLINICAL RESEARCH. SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM EXPANDS AND IMPROVES PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH. THE SBIR PROGRAM INTENDS TO INCREASE AND FACILITATE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, TO INCREASE SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION IN FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION. THE SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROGRAM STIMULATES AND FOSTERS SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION THROUGH COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CARRIED OUT BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO FOSTER TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION. RESEARCH CAREER DEVELOPMENT AWARDS SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENTISTS DURING THE FORMATIVE STAGES OF THEIR CAREERS. INDIVIDUAL NATIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE AWARDS (NRSAS) ARE MADE DIRECTLY TO APPROVE APPLICANTS FOR RESEARCH TRAINING IN SPECIFIED BIOMEDICAL SHORTAGE AREAS. IN ADDITION, INSTITUTIONAL NATIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE AWARDS ARE MADE TO ENABLE INSTITUTIONS TO SELECT AND MAKE AWARDS TO INDIVIDUALS TO RECEIVE TRAINING UNDER THE AEGIS OF THEIR INSTITUTIONAL PROGRAM.

93.855 - Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) [HHS - NIH]

Massachusetts United States

State-Wide

Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional) (PA-20-272)

Amendment Since initial award the End Date has been extended from 02/28/23 to 02/28/25 and the total obligations have increased 115% from $3,322,940 to $7,156,884.