06 December 2001
Text: HHS Announces New Bioterrorism Research Programs
(Government will support search for new vaccines, treatments) (1210)
The Department of Health and Human Services -- responding to calls
from interested scientists -- is setting up new programs to speed
research on ways to counteract bioterrorism. HHS Secretary Tommy
Thompson announced the new research programs in a December 6 press
release.
The research will be conducted under the guidance of the National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which has been
"deluged with calls from scientists who want to help," according to
NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci. "I am often approached by
researchers with promising ideas and a desire to contribute to the
fight against bioterrorism. These new programs will allow us to
channel that energy and new thinking toward enhancing our already
significant bioterrorism research program," Fauci said.
The research programs will be focused on the agents of anthrax,
botulism, plague and smallpox. The initiatives will provide funding
and support for scientists working to develop vaccines, treatments and
tests for these diseases.
Further information on the new research initiatives is available at
http://www.niaid.nih.gov/dmid/bioterrorism/.
Following is the HHS press release:
(begin text)
HHS NEWS
U. S. Department of Health and Human Services
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
December 6, 2001
HHS ACCELERATES BIOTERRORISM RESEARCH
New Programs Expedite Ideas from Concerned Scientists
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced seven new initiatives
to accelerate bioterrorism research and help strengthen the nation's
ability to deal with the public health threat posed by bioterrorism.
The research programs at the National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases (NIAID) are designed to take advantage of the
recent outpouring of ideas from concerned academic and industrial
scientists on ways to understand and combat potential agents of
bioterrorism. NIAID is the lead institute for research on bioterrorism
at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
"Lethal bioterrorism has become a stark reality, and our ability to
detect and counter this danger depends on having reliable, up-to-date
knowledge," Secretary Thompson said. "Under these new initiatives, the
submission, review, and funding of this flood of scientific proposals
will be expedited so that important research in this area can advance
as quickly as possible."
"At NIAID, our offices have been deluged with calls from scientists
who want to help," NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., said. "At
scientific meetings and conferences, I am often approached by
researchers with promising ideas and a desire to contribute to the
fight against bioterrorism. These new programs will allow us to
channel that energy and new thinking toward enhancing our already
significant bioterrorism research program."
The following initiatives will fund research investigating
high-priority, "Category A" biological diseases as defined by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) -- anthrax, botulism,
plague, smallpox, tularemia, and viral hemorrhagic fevers. Many of
these programs will encourage government partnerships with business
and academia. Many of them expand or build upon existing NIAID
bioterrorism or infectious disease research programs. Proposals and
applications from scientists may be submitted immediately. For more
detailed information, visit NIAID's new Web page, New
Bioterrorism-Related Research Funding Opportunities, at
http://www.niaid.nih.gov/dmid/bioterrorism/.
-- The Anthrax Vaccine Contract seeks to accelerate development of new
vaccines against the agent that causes this disease. NIAID has
designated the Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC)
to solicit and act as the main contact point for information about
such potential vaccines. In particular, NIAID wants to support work on
one of the most promising types of vaccines, called a recombinant
protective antigen vaccine.
-- The Rapid Response Grant Program on Bioterrorism-Related Research
will evaluate and fund new applications in five to six months after
receipt, rather than the usual nine or 10 months. This program will
encourage researchers to investigate new prevention strategies for
those at risk of exposure, new treatments for those infected and
improved diagnostics. It will also fund basic research that provides a
better understanding of the disease-causing organisms, particularly
information gleaned from the genomes of these organisms.
-- The Partnerships for Novel Therapeutic, Diagnostic, and Vector
Control Strategies in Infectious Diseases will support work on new
drug development and faster, more accurate diagnostics for diseases of
public health importance, including those caused by possible agents of
bioterrorism. This program seeks to foster partnerships among
government, academia, and the biotechnology and pharmaceutical
industries. It builds upon an established program that supports
research on infectious diseases that are not a high priority for
industry.
-- Exploratory/Developmental Grants: Technology Applications to
NIAID-Funded Research. These grants will apply the latest genetic,
imaging, and computer technology to currently funded research on
infectious diseases, especially those caused by Category A agents of
bioterrorism. With these grants, investigators can purchase new
equipment or collaborate with researchers who already have the needed
equipment and expertise. For example, this program might allow
investigators to use the latest gene knockout technology to better
understand a particular infectious organism.
-- The Small Business Program on Bioterrorism-Related Research is a
one-time solicitation of applications for research on agents of
bioterrorism. This program is part of the already established small
business grant program, but the administrative and review process will
be streamlined.
-- The U.S.-Based Collaboration In Emerging Viral and Prion Diseases
is designed to establish multidisciplinary research units that will
investigate viral and viral-like diseases. These units will quickly
study threats from emerging and re-emerging viruses and provide needed
information about them.
-- The NIAID Investigator-Initiated Small Research Grants will fund
specific, well-defined projects that can be completed in two years or
less. This program allows individual investigators to take advantage
of unexpected research opportunities and to follow promising new
leads.
In addition to these new efforts, NIH supports an extensive portfolio
of existing bioterrorism-related research. In fiscal year 2001, NIH
spent about $47 million on bioterrorism research, including about $36
million at NIAID. For fiscal year 2002, prior to the Sept. 11 attacks,
the President's budget proposed $93 million for NIH bioterrorism
research, including $81.6 million for NIAID. Current research projects
include:
-- NIAID helps fund the ongoing project at The Institute for Genomic
Research to sequence the genome of the anthrax bacterium. (Visit
http://www.tigr.org for more information.)
-- In October, investigators supported by NIAID published two studies
in the journal Nature that help explain how the anthrax toxin destroys
cells. In one of these studies, the researchers reported developing a
compound that may block this toxin.
-- Last year, NIAID began a clinical study to determine if the current
15 million doses of smallpox vaccine might be safely diluted and
thereby stretched to protect more people.
-- NIAID has submitted an Investigational New Drug application to the
Food and Drug Administration for the use of the antiviral drug
cidofovir as an emergency smallpox treatment.
NIAID is a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIAID
supports basic and applied research to prevent, diagnose, and treat
infectious and immune-mediated illnesses, including HIV/AIDS and other
sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis, malaria, autoimmune
disorders, asthma and allergies. More information about NIAID's
bioterrorism research efforts is available at
http://www.niaid.nih.gov/publications/bioterrorism.htm.
Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials
are available at www.hhs.gov/news.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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