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BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
Specific products that address the DHS’ priority areas will be produced during the first three years; these products will include new methods for detection, diagnosis, and immunization, as well as better understanding of host-pathogen interactions. The development and linking of new methods and capabilities across the Center emerging from investigation of the four representative diseases is expected to be broadly applicable to all forms of animal bioterrorism and is critical to the development of the Center’s future capacity. These will include such approaches as highly sophisticated genetic analyses of both host and pathogen; massive computational analysis of both published and unpublished genomic sequences; site-directed or transposon mutagenesis; and analysis of antigen expression in alphavirus replicons or vacciniapoxvirus systems, to name just a few approaches. The products of related research projects are expected to include, among others, better understanding of pathogenesis pertinent to the targeted disease agents; improved, more reliable diagnostics (such as an orthogonal sensor platform for simultaneous detection of the four reference pathogens and/or immediate, presumptive “field” tests); and more rational and innovative development of vaccines that will not compromise internationally standardized diagnostic assays. The impact of new deliverables to the DHS priority areas will serve as input to the modeling effort so that the impact of these deliverables can be estimated.