UC7AI180313

Enhancement of Resilience of the UTHSC RBL Facility, Biosafety and Countermeasure Discovery - Project Abstract

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) Regional Biocontainment Laboratory (RBL) resides within the campus in downtown Memphis in the heart of the medical district. The medical district includes St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Regional One Health Hospital, Memphis VA Medical Center, and Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital.

The overarching mission of the UTHSC RBL is to provide leadership and support in the discovery and development of new drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics that would protect the general population from emerging and reemerging infectious diseases and bioterrorism. The RBL supports and fosters basic research and translational research that leads to the development of countermeasures for biodefense and emerging infectious agents.

In addition to the regional entities above, we support research for academic, government, and commercial entities, nationally and internationally.

The long-range objectives and goals of the UC7 proposal focus on the creation of three cores to support RBL management and operations, and enhance and facilitate medical countermeasure research for biodefense, emerging infectious diseases, and pandemic preparedness and response at the RBL. The overall objectives and strategic plan for the operation and use of the RBL and the Facilities Core (Objective 1), BSL-3 Practices Core (Objective 2), and the Biocontainment Research Support Service Core (Objective 3).

Objective 1. To provide a Facility Management, Maintenance and Operation Core that will integrate preventive maintenance of mechanical and vivarium infrastructure and scientific/biosafety equipment necessary for BSL-3 and ABSL-3 containment.

Objective 2. To provide a BSL-3 Practices Core that will integrate the management of operations and training for BSL-3 pathogens of which some are select agents, promotes communication and harmonize compliance, security, individual competency, and practices across our RBL staff and our users.

Objective 3. To facilitate and advance research within the Biocontainment Research Support Service(s) Core under the umbrella of the "Antiviral & Antimicrobial Countermeasures Discovery & Development Core’ (herein abbreviated as A2CD2C). The A2CD2C is unique within the RBL network in its focus on providing LCMS/MS studies for infected, treated animal tissues in BSL-3 and providing drug pharmacodynamics.

The strategic mission for operation and use of the RBL and the three cores is to provide a seamless and integrated management and operational structure that efficiently serves its clients and users with the appropriate facility controls, biosafety, and select agent compliance. Our strategic vision in this regard is to provide leadership for the RBL network and scientific community and share best practices and discoveries through lectures and publications.

University Of Tennessee

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]

Memphis, Tennessee 38103 United States

Single Zip Code

Limited Competition: Resources and Workforce Development for the Regional Biocontainment Laboratories (UC7 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (RFA-AI-22-075)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 210% from $2,297,118 to $7,110,816.