Document text
Principal Investigator: Hardy Kornfeld
Organization: UNIV OF MASSACHUSETTS MED SCH WORCESTER
Fiscal Year: 2022
Award: $3,994,219
Funding agency: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Program Summary/Abstract
The University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School (UMass Chan) seeks NIH G20 funding to repair,
renovate, and modernize the existing Biosafety Level 3 (BSL3) and Animal BSL3 (ABSL3) facilities to enhance
current research on RNA viruses of pandemic potential. As an internationally recognized leader in infectious
disease research, UMass Chan has made pivotal contributions to this field, including work on the severe acute
respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, Newcastle disease
virus, and Zika virus. At the start of the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, we quickly became one of the
leading institutes for research and clinical trials on SARS-CoV-2. Our researchers obtained several awards from
the NIH, NSF, and Department of Defense, as well as private foundations for these studies. As a leading site for
COVID-19 clinical trials, UMass Chan is uniquely poised to bridge clinical and basic research studies on these
RNA viruses by enabling essential research on patient samples to complement in vitro and in vivo studies. Our
findings can be translated to develop novel prevention and therapeutic strategies leveraging our world-renowned
RNA Therapeutics Institute, our Institute for Drug Resistance, and our partnership with MassBiologics for vaccine
development, making UMass Chan a powerhouse for bench-to-bedside translational research.
The UMass Chan BSL3 Core Laboratories have seen a staggering increase in usage due to the pandemic.
Our BSL3 and ABSL3 facilities need major updates and renovations to keep pace with our research programs
and continue to provide a safe, modern, and efficient lab for BSL3 work. The last time these facilities were
completely renovated was over a decade ago (2003–2005 for our ABLS3 and 2010–2014 for our BSL3). We
will modernize the existing BSL3 and ABSL3 facilities by updating the ceiling and ventilation systems, installing
new autoclaves, maximizing the existing footprint by removing outdated equipment, and updating cameras for
safety. These updates will significantly enhance research on RNA viruses of pandemic potential by addressing
deficiencies that have caused prolonged downtime for repairs, and by enhancing the resilience of critical
building systems. Our UMass Chan Facilities and Campus Services team has extensive experience executing
design, renovations, and oversight of the operations and have worked with the NIH on previous G20 and C06-
funded improvements to our facilities. The G20 funding will also be backed by strong institutional support for
this project and a commitment to fully equip the updated space with state-of-the-art scientific instruments and
other equipment needed to maintain the productivity of currently funded and future research on SARS-CoV-2
and other BSL3-level RNA viral pathogens. With G20 funding, our BSL3 and ABSL3 labs can get much-
needed updates to support our faculty as they continue to make ground-breaking fundamental discoveries with
translational potential to address SARS-CoV-2 and other RNA viruses of pandemic potential.
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