The University of Toledo

Amount Appropriated?

$6.9M

FFID tracks stages 1–2 — stages 3–5 vary by agency, assistance type, and earmark structure.

Project Description

The University of Toledo requested funding will be used to expand and renovate its existing BSL3 laboratory spaces to safely and effectively develop new and improved diagnostics, vaccines, and treatments for diseases caused by infectious agents. The requested funding will help address current and projected biomedical research needs at UToledo, adding new and enhanced BSL3 space to quickly address future pandemic or emerging infectious disease threats and providing multi-purpose space for existing biomedical science faculty and ongoing faculty recruitment efforts. Expanded and renovated laboratory space will enhance UToledo\u2019s cutting-edge research projects on the microbiome and biocontainment spaces for deadly Tier 1 Select Agent pathogens like anthrax, plague, and tularemia. Specialized germ-free rooms and equipment are needed to understand how changes in the intestinal microbiome impact cardiovascular disease, mental health, obesity, and other human diseases. \r\n\r\nResearch conducted in the UToledo BSL-3 lab also in turn informs the necessary public health measures to control and prevent further transmission and disease pathogenesis. The scientific capabilities of the highly trained personnel working in the UToledo BSL3 are a tremendous federal resource not only because of the research they conduct, but also because they can provide critical guidance on how to effectively manage a highly infectious pathogen at lower containment levels if necessary and to develop a highly-trained workforce in the critical area. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the importance of BSL-3 labs, their associated resources, and trained workforce in combatting epidemics caused by emerging pathogens.\r\n