Services and Resources for Researchers
NIAID-Supported Services
The overall objective of the Repository has been, and continues to be, to facilitate and stimulate research in filariasis. These parasites are maintained in the laboratory by alternate passage through mammalian definitive hosts and arthropod vectors.
The Malaria Research and Reference Reagent Resource Center (MR4) was established to provide a central source of quality-controlled malaria-related reagents and information to the international malaria research community. Materials available to qualified, registered users include parasites, mosquito vectors, antibodies, antigens, gene libraries, molecular probes, and constructs.
NIAID's Microbial Genome Sequencing Centers provide rapid and cost-efficient resources for production of high-quality, microbial genome sequences. Genomes that can be sequenced through these resources include microorganisms considered agents of bioterrorism (Categories A, B, and C), related organisms, clinical isolates, closely related species, and invertebrate vectors of disease and microorganisms responsible for emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.
The Pathogen Functional Genomics Resource Center (PFGRC) provides researchers with free-of-charge functional genomic research resources and training to aid functional genomics research on a variety of pathogens and invertebrate vectors of infectious diseases for which genomic sequence information is currently, or will soon be, available.
The Schistosome Related Reagent Repository (SR3) has been launched by NIAID to serve as a central facility for the collection and long-term storage of schistosome- and snail-host-related reagents. This will allow scientists: 1) improved access to parasite, snail, and related reagents; and 2) availability of these standardized reagents in a renewable form.
The Structural Genomics Centers for Infectious Diseases apply state-of-the-art high-throughput structural biology technologies to characterize the three dimensional (3-D) atomic structure of targeted proteins from pathogens in the NIAID Category A-C priority lists and organisms causing emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.
VectorBase provides genomic information for arthropod vectors. It is one of eight Bioinformatics Resource Centers (BRCs) sponsored by NIAID. The BRCs provide Web-based resources for conducting basic and applied research on organisms considered potential agents of biowarfare or bioterrorism or those that cause emerging or re-emerging diseases. These centers support existing and newly developed techniques for bioinformatic analysis aimed at obtaining a deeper understanding of the fundamental biology of a specific set of pathogenic organisms as well as efforts to counter the threats posed by these pathogens.
The World Reference Center for Emerging Viruses and Arboviruses (WRCEVA) program maintains the Emerging Viruses and Arboviruses Reference Collection and provides reagents and support for investigations of virus outbreaks throughout the world. This international program identifies and characterizes numerous arboviruses and/or other suspected emerging viruses spread by mosquitoes, ticks, and other insects and animals to people and domestic animals. It also investigates the epidemiology of the diseases these viruses cause. The repository within the WRCEVA stores over 4000 classified arthropod-borne, rodent-borne, and other zoonotic and human viruses, as well as complementary sera (e.g., hyperimmune mouse ascites fluids), diagnostic antigens, arthropod cell lines, hybridoma cells, and reagents (viral nucleic acids, etc).
Other Resources (non-Government links)
The IVCC addresses the lack of development of new insecticides for public health vector control and develops informatic tools which will enable new and existing pesticides to be used more effectively.
The Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit (WRBU) is a unique national resource. Its mission is to conduct systematics research on medically important arthropods and to maintain the U.S. mosquito collection.
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