NIAID events highlight global health research

During two events in May, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) will highlight new and ongoing international research efforts in the fight against malaria and other tropical diseases.

On Monday, May 7, NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci will unveil the Institute's Global Health Research Plan for HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis. Dr. Fauci will describe the plan during the 10th anniversary meeting of the International Centers for Tropical Disease Research (ICTDR). His 8:25 a.m. talk will kick off the meeting in the Lister Hill auditorium in Building 38A on the NIH campus, and can be seen live online at http://videocast.nih.gov.

At 2:00 p.m. that same day, NIAID will host the grand opening of its new Malaria Vaccine Development Unit (MVDU) in Rockville, Maryland. Key speakers include Acting NIH Director Dr. Ruth Kirschstein, Dr. Fauci, and Dr. Louis Miller, who heads the MVDU. Tours of the facility will be conducted by laboratory personnel beginning at 3:30 p.m.

ICTDR Meeting

NIAID has funded research in tropical medicine for more than 50 years. To more effectively confront challenges in international health, the Institute founded the ICTDR program in 1991. The program brings together NIAID-funded scientists conducting research on such tropical scourges as malaria, dengue fever, leishmaniasis, and Chagas disease.

These and other tropical diseases are a major source of worldwide death and suffering, most often in regions lacking the resources to research and combat the diseases. ICTDR has established collaborative studies between NIAID scientists and researchers from endemic areas, strengthened cooperation among different government agencies and international organizations, and encouraged private industry to work with the public sector to develop diagnostics, drugs, and vaccines for tropical diseases.

The 10th anniversary meeting, to be held May 7-9, will feature presentations by U.S. and international researchers on advances in vaccine and drug research, diagnostic testing, and the basic science of tropical infectious diseases, all made possible through ICTDR collaborations. The meeting agenda can be found online at http://www.niaid.nih.gov/ictdr/10th/agenda.htm.

For more information, contact Sam Perdue in the NIAID Office of Communications and Public Liaison 301- 496-5717. Parking at NIH is limited (http://des.od.nih.gov/parking.htm), so visitors are encouraged to take Metro (Medical Center stop on the Red Line).

MVDU Grand Opening

The MVDU, located in NIAID's Twinbrook I research facility in Rockville, was established to help bridge the gap between basic research and malaria vaccine production. By providing "product process development," a key step in vaccine production that enables experimental vaccine concepts to be modified and scaled up for clinical testing in people, the MVDU is a key part of NIAID's commitment to research that can benefit the health of the international community. The Institute's overall malaria vaccine research plan can be found at http://www.niaid.nih.gov/dmid/malaria/malvacdv/toc.htm.

The MVDU grand opening will take place in a tent between Twinbrook I and II at 12441 Parklawn Drive. Space is limited, so if you plan to attend please call Sam Perdue at the number above. Attendees can park in the lot between the Twinbrook buildings.

NIAID is a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIAID supports basic and applied research to prevent, diagnose, and treat infectious and immune-mediated illnesses, including HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis, malaria, autoimmune disorders, asthma and allergies.

Press releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID Web site at http://www.niaid.nih.gov.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is a component of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services