RMRCE Mission

The Rocky Mountain Regional Center of Excellence (RMRCE) for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research was established in 2004 as part of a national effort by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to facilitate research, product development and training of scientists for important emerging infectious diseases and bio-threat agents.

Primary mission

To synergize the expertise of investigators from multiple research institutions within the Rocky Mountain Region VIII (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY) in a manner that sustains multidisciplinary programs in basic and translational research on biodefense and emerging infectious diseases.

Additional missions

To provide training that capitalizes on the strengths of the RMRCE and an emergency response program that ensures the expertise of the RMRCE is available to local, state, and federal entities in support of responses to emerging infectious diseases and biodefense threats.

The RMRCE currently supports 15 investigator-directed research programs at nine research institutions in four states of the Rocky Mountain Region.  These research activities are clustered into two integrated research foci:  1) Bacterial Therapeutics and 2) Viral Therapeutics. Investigations encompass basic research, target discovery and validation, small molecule discovery, immunotherapeutics, and animal model development. These research activities are supported by three scientific cores for: 1) Animal Models, 2) Product Development and Manufacturing, and 3) Genomics and Proteomics; as well as several BSL-3 facilities at multiple institutions including the Rocky Mountain Regional Biocontainment Laboratory at Colorado State University. 

RMRCE Goals

  1. Attract and support highly innovative investigators and research programs committed to the discovery of therapeutics for biodefense and emerging infectious diseases.
  2. Build synergy among investigators and research programs to accelerate the discovery process.
  3. Provide the scientific infrastructure that allows for basic research as well as product development.
  4. Maintain career development and group training activities that build upon the existing strengths of the RMRCE.
  5. Maintain an Emergency Response Program based upon the available resources within the RMRCE.