The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) today announced plans to establish a new research center that would put the city at the forefront of the nation's efforts to protect against bioterrorism, advance the fight against infectious diseases and make Chicago one of the best-prepared cities in the world in the event of a bioterrorist attack.
The university said it will seek federal funding to establish the UIC National Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases as part of a significant expansion of scientific and public health programs undertaken by the U.S. government in the wake of September 11 and the subsequent anthrax attacks.
"The anthrax attacks offer a vivid illustration of the vulnerability of the United States to acts of bioterrorism, as they virtually shut down major elements of government, undermined public confidence and tapped into our primal fear of disease," said Eric Gislason, UIC vice chancellor for research. "The president and other government officials have said we must address critical gaps in our defense against bioterrorism, including a serious shortage of high-level research labs. The medical and research community of Chicago can play a major role in addressing that national priority."
The National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have issued a request for proposals to construct several new biodefense research facilities across the United States. These facilities would allow scientists to safely study microorganisms that could be used by terrorists, as well as naturally occurring viruses and bacteria such as AIDS, hepatitis C, tuberculosis and West Nile virus.
A major component of the UIC biodefense center would be one of two National Biocontainment Laboratories to be funded by the federal government in 2003. These laboratories will include special areas, designated Biosafety Level 4, where small samples of viruses and bacteria can be contained, safely housed and studied under conditions that shield the scientists who work with them. The goal of the research would be to develop drugs to fight the pathogens and vaccines to protect against them.
UIC's proposed center would also develop critical biodefense first-responder capabilities -- serving as a resource to medical and public safety personnel in the event of a bioterrorist attack -- and train a cadre of scientists, researchers and professionals who would carry the nation's biodefense mission into the future.
Its proposed location in the Illinois Medical District -- the heart of the city's medical and research community -- will create immediate linkages with other medical institutions and public safety agencies, and ensure that Chicago would be among the best-prepared cities in the world in the case of a bioterrorist attack.
UIC, with six health science colleges and a hospital, is well-positioned to lead this effort. Its School of Public Health and medical center have already received federal funding to help prepare public health and healthcare workers to respond to terrorist incidents and other emerging health threats.
UIC is proposing to build the lab near the corner of Roosevelt Road and Wood Street. In addition to being on the UIC campus, the site is within the Medical District, which includes Cook County Hospital, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center and Westside VA. The West Side location also would put the lab near the new FBI headquarters, the State Police crime lab and the City's 911 and 311 EmergencyResponse centers.
"These specially designed labs need to be located in metropolitan areas because that's where we have the largest pools of scientific and medical experts who can develop defenses against bioterrorism," noted Charles Rice, UIC vice chancellor for health affairs. "The UIC center and its biodefense laboratory would allow Chicago to serve as the hub of biodefense-related scientific activity in this region, developing the vaccines, drugs and antibodies essential to increasing the safety of our citizens."
The proposed biodefense laboratory would be operated under the supervision of the NIH and meet the most stringent security and safety guidelines. Only trained, screened personnel would have access to the lab. Most of the research would involve only non-infectious specimens -- "parts" of pathogens such as molecules and sub-cellular components that are not viable and pose no risk. If microorganisms themselves are required for study, only very small amounts would be used.
Lead researchers on the project will be James Cook, professor and head of infectious diseases, and Bellur Prabhakar, professor and head of microbiology and immunology, in the UIC College of Medicine. UIC has met with scientists from other midwestern universities, many of whom have expressed interest in using the proposed new research facility to study pathogens that could be spread either by bioterrorists or naturally through human-animal contact, causing diseases such as mad cow. UIC expects to partner with other research institutions in other aspects of the federal government's expanded biodefense capacities.
To inform the community directly about the new research center and respond to questions that may arise, UIC will conduct extensive public outreach before submitting its application to the federal government. The process of community dialogue will continue while the application is being reviewed, and would carry on through construction and operation of the facility. One of the federal government's stated goals for institutions submitting grant applications is that they be "pro-active in maintaining positive relations" with their internal constituencies, surrounding communities and the general public.
The university is establishing a National Biodefense Laboratory External Advisory Committee. The council will conduct community dialogues and present findings to UIC Chancellor Sylvia Manning in January. The University's application to the federal government must be filed by Feb. 10.
There are currently six Biosafety Level 4 labs in North America: the Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Ga.; the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Md.; the Viral Immunology Center at Georgia State University, Atlanta; the NIH, Bethesda, Md.; the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, Texas; and the Canadian Science Center for Human and Animal Health in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The new facility would bring approximately $140 million in federal funding to Chicago; additional economic benefits would result from future research funding.
UIC has engaged the nation's recognized leader in the planning and design of technologically complex facilities for science and technology organizations, CUH2A. In designing biocontainment facilities, CUH2A works jointly with Smith Carter, an architectural and engineering company with expertise in high-level containment laboratories in the U.S. and overseas. Principals of this joint venture have designed or consulted on more than 50 Biosafety Level 3 and Level 4 facilities. The development manager for the project would be Higgins Development Partners of Chicago, which is carrying out similar responsibilities for a new high-level containment laboratory at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories, a facility of the NIH in Hamilton, Mont.
For more information on the UIC National Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, visit www.biodefense.uic.edu
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