Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
caused by virtually all infectious agents with the exception of AIDS. The
programs supported range from basic biomedical research, which
includes studies of microbial physiology and antigenic structure, to
applied research, which includes the development of diagnostic tests, to
clinical trials for evaluating experimental drugs and vaccines. Since the
terrorist events in September of 2001, a number of initiatives have
been launched with a focus on infectious agents that are relevant to
biodefense. NIAID has already made a significant investment in
genome sequencing of invertebrate vectors of disease and pathogenic
microorganisms, including medically important microbes, and those
considered agents of bioterrorism. Coupled with other biochemical and
microbiological information, these sequences are facilitating the devel-
opment of targets for diagnostics, drugs, and vaccines, and for forensic
strain identification. Vast amounts of information have been and are
currently being generated, and the storage, integration, and interpreta-
tion of this information requires a cyberinfrastructure consisting of rela-
tional databases and robust software components and tools to facilitate
data exploration by the scientific community.
A NIAID initiative to meet these needs of integration and analysis
is the Bioinformatics Resource Centers for Biodefense and Emerging
or Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases (BRC). Eight BRC centers were
established, under an initial five-year grant, to construct a cyberinfra-
structure that integrates genomic, proteomic, biochemical, and micro-
biological information (http://www.niaid.nih.gov/dmid/genomes/
brc/default.htm). A list of the eight BRCs and their affiliated institu-
tions is given in Table 1. The BRC initiative will provide the scientific
community with a research resource that includes access to a large
amount of genomic and related data, and to tools that facilitate the
interpretation of that data. The BRC resources are for public use and
are be offered completely free of charge.
The specific objectives of this initiative are:
1.
To provide the scientific community with a robust point of entry
for access to genomic and related data in a user-friendly format.
The centers focus on the organisms listed in the NIAID Category
A-C priority list or pathogens causing emerging or re-emerging
diseases that are relevant for biodefense.
