Introduction
The Integrated Research Facility (IRF) is part of the Office of the Chief Scientist for the Division of Clinical Research (DCR) in the Office of the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
Mission Statement
The mission of the Integrated Research Facility (IRF) is to manage, coordinate and facilitate the conduct of emerging infectious disease (EID) and biodefense research to develop vaccines, countermeasures, and improved medical outcomes for patients.
Purpose
The NIAID IRF at Fort Detrick was created to carry out biodefense research needed to understand the clinical disease processes which correlate with the severity of microbial-induced disease. Central to the core mission of the NIAID IRF at Fort Detrick is the use of hospital tools such as endoscopy, cardiac telemetry monitors, and CT, MRI, SPECT, and PET imaging to systematically evaluate the pathogenic processes and clinical course of disease in animal models exposed to microbes.
Research emphasis will be placed on high consequence infections requiring high levels of biocontainment: most Category A viral and bacteria pathogens plus newly emerging infectious disease microbes. In addition to addressing scientific questions related to microbes’ basic biology and disease-causing mechanisms (including microbial components that define a pathogen’s life cycle, transmission, virulence and invasiveness), a key goal is to correlate these findings with clinical test (telemetry and imaging) results. Evaluation of these data in turn depends on development of animal models which faithfully replicate the human disease syndromes, including a respiratory route of exposure. This knowledge is crucial to the development of preventative and therapeutic strategies and will not only lead to improved medical outcomes at the hospital beside but for public health in general.
Contact Information
IRF Staff Listing
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