Surveillance

The Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA) is the animal health research program of the Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries (IRTA), a public company of the Autonomous Government of Catalonia (Spain). CReSA is located at the campus of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), working in a new and technologically advanced building with conventional laboratories as well as biocontainment with level-3 biosecurity (BSL3) laboratories and animal facilities. The mission of CReSA is to contribute to the advancement of scientific and technical knowledge on animal health by means of research, knowledge transfer and services to public and private bodies. The long term objective is to globally improve all aspects of animal health that influence the agri-food sector and public health. CReSA researchers’ expertise includes pathology, immunology, bacteriology, virology, entomology, epidemiology and molecular biology, as well as disease animal models. Viral research is focused on endemic and exotic viruses affecting mainly livestock (swine, ruminants and poultry) and occasionally wildlife. Zoonotic viruses including animal influenza viruses, West Nile virus, Rift Valley fever virus and MERS-coronavirus are nowadays significant poles of research.

The Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology (MIP) Department is comprised of over 400 individuals who share a common passion for solving some of the most important human and animal health problems today. Research programs include those related to mycobacteria, retroviruses, prions, and arthropod-borne infectious diseases, as well as the diagnostic investigation of naturally-occurring animal diseases. A leader in education, MIP provides the only microbiology undergraduate degree program in Colorado, a graduate program that provides training in a number of cutting-edge disciplines, and several specialized veterinary residency training programs.

Finding solutions to prevent, treat and cure infectious diseases and understanding the complexities of microbes and the immune system requires innovative approaches and concentrated effort. This is why the University of Melbourne – a world leader in education, teaching and research excellence – and The Royal Melbourne Hospital – an internationally renowned institution providing outstanding care, research and learning –partnered to create the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute); a centre of excellence where leading scientists and clinicians collaborate to improve human health globally.

Over the last five years, the URMC has garnered more than $1.18 billion in biomedical research funding, common and rare illnesses, landing the University in the top 26th percentile of U.S. medical centers in Federal research funding. Coupled with one million square feet of state-of-the-art research space, and high-end support services and shared resources, we’re building upon this strong legacy of research every day. Our scientists contributed vaccine technology: HPV vaccine, protecting against cervical cancer, newborns worldwide receive a vaccine that URMC researchers created against Haemophilus influenza type B (Hib), virtually wiping out a leading cause of meningitis in preschoolers. And we conducted the first pivotal, H5N1 bird flu efficacious and safety study, and ready to administer if faced with a pandemic. The Medical Center also has a long history in HIV research, being one of the first sites in the United States to conduct HIV vaccine studies. The NIH-sponsored University of Rochester HIV/AIDS Clinical Trials Unit, or The Rochester Victory Alliance, participated in more than 275 HIV treatment and vaccine trials, enrolling upwards of 3,500 volunteers since 1987.

Harare is home to a NIH AIDS Clinical Trials Unit that conducts research with NIAID HIV Research networks including the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG), International Maternal Pediatric and Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials (IMPAACT), and Microbial Trials Network (MTN). In addition, UZ has a NIAID HIV Clinical Pharmacology Specialty Laboratory. These clinical research networks are led by senior clinical scientists who have been involved in international multicenter trials for the past two decades hence their ability to contribute to the HIV, HBV, HCV, HPV, and other global virology research agendas. A number of NIH funded studies exist including training programs such as e.g., International Clinical, Operational and Health Services Research Training Award for AIDS and TB (ICOHRTA AIDS/TB) as well as the PEPFAR funded Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI).The Antiviral Pharmacology Laboratory was initially funded as a developmental International Pharmacology Specialty Laboratory and in 2015 gained status as an ACTG International Specialty Pharmacology Laboratory. This change in status reflected successful external assessment for its readiness to participate in protocol support for ACTG as well as other networks within the Clinical Trails Unit – Virology Program. The interface among the HIV Research Networks allows the clinical pharmacology laboratory to contribute drug assays, pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamics, drug interactions and pharmacogenomics research to HIV prevention and treatment research protocols in adults, pediatrics, adolescents, pregnant women, as well as to cure, vaccines, and co-infection (e.g., TB, HBV, HPV) protocols.

The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) is known worldwide for its academic excellence in virology research. The scientists and academic staff at the university include some of the world’s foremost infectious disease experts, and research at the university results in groundbreaking biomedical discoveries and the development of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostic tools. The Galveston National Laboratory (GNL), the flagship high containment facility of the UTMB Institute of Human Infections and Immunity, resides on the UTMB campus and houses research on Ebola, chikungunya, MERS coronavirus, dengue, West Nile, and other emerging viruses. The Institute also includes the Center for Biodefense & Emerging Infectious Diseases, the Sealy Center for Vaccine Development, the Center for Tropical Diseases, and the McLaughlin Endowment for Infection and Immunity.