Facilities
Colorado State University
Rocky Mountain Regional Biocontainment Laboratory (RMRBL)
The Rocky Mountain Regional Biocontainment Laboratory (RMRBL) is part of the Infectious Disease Research Center and is located on the CSU Foothills Campus. The RMRBL was completed in December, 2007, and was approved for Select Agent work in April, 2008. The RMRBL has 24,309 square feet of BSL3 and BSL2 space. RMRCE researchers, including the Animal Models Core, Genomics and Proteomics Core, and PDM Core currently occupy part of the BSL2 lab space.
Centers for Disease Control
Vector-borne Infectious Diseases Laboratory (CDC-VBIDL)
The CDC-VBIDL is located on the CSU Foothills Campus across the street from the Rocky Mountain RBL. It occupies a new state-of-the-art 155,000 square feet facility as well as an older laboratory of approximately 30,000 square feet on the Foothills Campus of CSU. This laboratory provides service and conducts research on the arboviruses, Lyme disease, plague, tularemia and relapsing fever throughout the world. CDC-VBIDL is divided into branches: Arbovirus Diseases, Dengue (located in San Juan, Puerto Rico), and Bacterial Zoonoses.
Each branch has ongoing research, service, and training programs involving the many aspects of VB diseases. The VBIDL also houses the WHO Regional Centers for arboviruses, dengue, plague, Lyme disease and, most recently, tularemia. Most scientists at CDC-VBIDL hold affiliate faculty appointments in Departments at CSU and teach in courses offered at the University.
University of Colorado Denver Health Science Programs (UCDHSP)
Department of Microbiology
The UCDHSP is one of four campuses of the University of Colorado system. It encompasses the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, and Pharmacy, and the Graduate School. In the spring of 2007, the Microbiology Department moved to the new Anschutz Medical campus and occupies approximately 17,000 square feet of contiguous, up-to-date space located adjacent to new 1,200 square feet BSL3 laboratories (4 individual modules & one main laboratory).
Utah State University(USU)
Institute for Antiviral Research (IAR)
The IAR was established in 1987, and employs a team of researchers including 10 PhDs, 11 full-time technicians, 2 support staff, and 20 students. It has received continuous support, from both industry and federal contracts to help develop viral therapeutics. Senior researchers of the Institute have aided in the development of five drugs currently approved by the U.S. FDA for the treatment of human viral diseases.
BSL3 Facilities
Several BSL3 laboratories and animal facilities are available at USU. The Laboratory Animal Research Center (LARC) was constructed in 1970 and has 8400 square feet. The LARC is fully accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC). A third BSL3 laboratory is located in the Veterinary Sciences Building adjacent to the LARC. This BSL3 laboratory contains cell culture and some molecular biology capacities. A “high-consequence” ABLS3 laboratory is near completion for work with highly pathogenic avian influenza and a new life sciences facility will be completed at USU in late 2010 that will contain more Select Agent, high-consequence ABSL3 laboratories.
Montana State University
Veterinary Molecular Biology Department (VMB)
Laboratories in the VMB investigate a variety of important pathogens (viral,
bacterial, and protozoan) and address basic questions of molecular virology, immunology, functional genomics and animal development. It is the vision and goal of VMB programs to explore fundamental processes of pathogens and their interactions with the animal host so that new therapies may be developed. In this effort, researchers employ cutting-edge technology including functional genomics, animal transgenics, immunology, cell and molecular biology, and protein biochemistry to investigate the basic mechanisms of the pathogenesis of infectious disease.
University of Montana(UM)
Division of Biological Sciences (DBS)
The DBS is actively involved in training scientists at the undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral levels. DBS has 58,097 square feet of space located in the Health Sciences Building, the Science Complex Building and a new Life Science Annex. A proposal to construct an additional 10,000 square feet of biomedical research space is currently pending. The NIH Graduate Partnership Program between Rocky Mountain Laboratories (Hamilton, MT) and UM biomedical faculty within DBS, Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences departments began in 2005.
The program is designed to strengthen the strong ties between UM and NIH, to enhance institutional visibility for attracting new graduate students in microbial pathogenesis, and to provide additional research training opportunities for UM doctoral students at the NIH RML campus. Containment facilities include a 660 square feet BSL3 facility in the Science Complex building at UM and additional BSL3 facilities are available at the RML (NIH/NIAID) for training.