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Principal Investigator: Timothy O'Connor
Organization: ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY
Fiscal Year: 2022
Award: $7,019,416
Funding agency: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Project Summary/Abstract
Rockefeller University is a unique institution: with only 70 Heads of Laboratories, the faculty have received 3
Nobel prizes in Medicine in the last 10 years and 5 (plus 1 in chemistry) in the last 21 years, along with
appointment of 18 faculty as HHMI investigators and 29 to membership in the National Academy of Sciences.
Rockefeller faculty have played an outsized role in contributions to foundational discoveries in virology and
infectious disease, both historically and presently. Recognizing the importance of the current pandemic, over
the past two years, a dozen research groups at Rockefeller have joined the research efforts focused on
pandemic threat viruses, with numerous grants supporting the work and over 50 peer-reviewed publications to
date. Rockefeller labs have made seminal contributions identifying the spectrum of neutralizing antibodies to
the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, the impact of variants on neutralization, and characterizing the atomic-
resolution binding of antibodies to spike protein. Collectively, Rockefeller laboratories are working on
Alphaviruses (e.g., Sindbis, chikungunya viruses), Flaviviruses (e.g., yellow fever, Zika, West Nile, Powassan
viruses), Hepaciviruses (hepatitis C virus, Norway rat hepacivirus), Hepadnaviruses (hepatitis B virus),
Orthomyxoviruses (influenza), Coronaviruses (SARS-CoV-2 and other human coronaviruses) and retroviruses
including HIV-1. Many of the viruses under study, including chikungunya, yellow fever, West Nile, Powassan,
and SARS-CoV-2, are classified as Risk Group 3 (RG3) pathogens, requiring BSL3 containment facilities and
practices. Moreover, some research at Rockefeller includes the generation of replicons and chimeric (VSV-
based) viruses whose stability and safety should be established under BSL3 conditions prior to use at lower
biosafety containment levels. This project seeks to enhance and expand space and support for both in vivo
and in vitro research. Specific aim 1 is to increase the Rockefeller University’s BSL3 capacities to meet the
scientific needs by establishing a new BSL3 facility in an existing laboratory building. Specific aim 2 is to equip
and enhance the new facility and the BSL3/ABSL3 facilities that already exist at the University. To achieve
these aims, an extremely experienced team of personnel at Rockefeller propose to: establish a new multiple-
investigator BSL3 facility; add equipment to the existing single-PI BSL3 facility; replace an existing autoclave
and add an incremental autoclave in the ABSL3; and modernize the supporting infrastructure in the ABSL3.
Terms: <2019 novel corona virus><2019 novel coronavirus><2019-nCoV><2019-nCoV S protein><2019-nCoV spike glycoprotein><2019-nCoV spike protein><AIDS Virus><Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Virus><Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Virus><Address><Alpha Virus><Alphavirus><Animal Model><Animal Models and Related Studies><Antibodies><Antiviral Agents><Antiviral Drugs><Antivirals><Appointment><Award><BSL-3 facility><BSL3 facility><Baltimore><Binding><Biochemistry><Biological Chemistry><Biology><CHIKV><COVID crisis><COVID epidemic><COVID pandemic><COVID-19 S protein><COVID-19 crisis><COVID-19 epidemic><COVID-19 global health crisis><COVID-19 global pandemic><COVID-19 health crisis><COVID-19 infection><COVID-19 pandemic><COVID-19 public health crisis><COVID-19 spike glycoprotein><COVID-19 spike protein><COVID-19 virus><COVID19 S protein><COVID19 crisis><COVID19 epidemic><COVID19 global health crisis><COVID19 global pandemic><COVID19 health crisis><COVID19 infection><COVID19 pandemic><COVID19 public health crisis><COVID19 spike glycoprotein><COVID19 spike protein><COVID19 virus><Cancer Genes><Cancer-Promoting Gene><Cell Body><Cell Culture System><Cell Culture Techniques><Cells><Cessation of life><Chemistry><Chikungunya virus><CoV-2><CoV2><Communicable Diseases><Containment><Coronaviridae><Coronavirus><Death><Development><Drug Therapy><EC 2.7.7.49><Egypt 101 virus><Equipment><Faculty><Flavivirus><Foundations><Future><Generations><Genes><Genetic><Grant><Grippe><Group A Arboviruses><Group B Arbovirus><HBV><HCV><HCV infection><HCoV><HIV><HIV-1><HIV-I><HIV1><Head><Hepacivirus><Hepadnaviridae><Hepadnavirus><Hepatitis B Virus><Hepatitis C><Hepatitis C virus><Hepatitis C virus infection><Hepatitis C-Like Viruses><Hepatitis, Viral, Non-A, Non-B, Parenterally-Transmitted><Hepatitus C><History><Homologous Serum Hepatitis Virus><Hospitals><Human><Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1><Human Immunodeficiency Viruses><Human Resources><Human immunodeficiency virus 1><Immune response><Immunological response><Immunology><In Vitro><Infectious Disease Pathway><Infectious Diseases><Infectious Disorder><Influenza><Infrastructure><Institution><Intervention><Intervention Strategies><Investigators><LAV-HTLV-III><Laboratories><Leadership><Lymphadenopathy-Associated Virus><Manpower><Medicine><Modern Man><Modernization><Molecular Interaction><Monoclonal Antibody Therapy><National Academy of Sciences><Nobel Prize><Norway Rats><Oncogenes><Orthomyxoviridae><Orthomyxoviruses><Parasites><Peer Review><Pharmacotherapy><Play><Powassan><Powassan virus><Predisposition><Proteins><Publications><RNA Transcriptase><RNA Viruses><RNA-Dependent DNA Polymerase><RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase><Rattus norvegicus><Recording of previous events><Replication Unit><Replicon><Reproduction><Research><Research Activity><Research Personnel><Research Resources><Researchers><Resolution><Resources><Retroviridae><Retroviruses><Reverse Transcriptase><Revertase><Rice><Risk><Rivers><Role><SARS corona virus 2><SARS-CO-V2><SARS-COVID-2><SARS-CoV-2><SARS-CoV-2 S protein><SARS-CoV-2 epidemic><SARS-CoV-2 global health crisis><SARS-CoV-2 global pandemic><SARS-CoV-2 infection><SARS-CoV-2 pandemic><SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein><SARS-CoV-2 spike protein><SARS-CoV2><SARS-CoV2 S protein><SARS-CoV2 epidemic><SARS-CoV2 infection><SARS-CoV2 pandemic><SARS-CoV2 spike glycoprotein><SARS-CoV2 spike protein><SARS-associated corona virus 2><SARS-associated coronavirus 2><SARS-coronavirus-2><SARS-coronavirus-2 epidemic><SARS-coronavirus-2 pandemic><SARS-related corona virus 2><SARS-related coronavirus 2><SARSCoV2><Safety><Scientific Publication><Seminal><Severe Acute Respiratory Coronavirus 2><Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome CoV 2><Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Corona Virus 2><Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Coronavirus 2><Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoV 2><Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoV 2 epidemic><Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoV 2 pandemic><Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-associated coronavirus 2><Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-related coronavirus 2><Severe acute respiratory syndrome associated corona virus 2><Severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 S protein><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 epidemic><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 spike glycoprotein><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 spike protein><Severe acute respiratory syndrome related corona virus 2><Solid Neoplasm><Solid Tumor><Susceptibility><System><Transforming Genes><United States National Academy of Sciences><Universities><VSV><Vaccines><Variant><Variation><Vesicular Stomatitis Virus><Vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus><Viral><Viral Diseases><Virus><Virus Diseases><Virus Replication><Virus-HIV><Virus-Retrovirus><WNV><West Nile><West Nile virus><Work><Wuhan coronavirus><Yellow Fever><ZIKA><animal facility><anti-retroviral therapy><anti-retroviral treatment><anti-viral agents><anti-viral compound><anti-viral drugs><anti-viral medication><anti-viral therapeutic><anti-virals><antiretroviral therapy><antiretroviral treatment><antiviral compound><antiviral medication><antiviral therapeutic><base><biocontainment facility><biosafety level 3 facility><cell culture><cell cultures><chikungunya><corona virus><corona virus disease 2019 epidemic><corona virus disease 2019 pandemic><coronavirus disease 2019 S protein><coronavirus disease 2019 crisis><coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic><coronavirus disease 2019 global health crisis><coronavirus disease 2019 global pandemic><coronavirus disease 2019 health crisis><coronavirus disease 2019 infection><coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic><coronavirus disease 2019 public health crisis><coronavirus disease 2019 spike glycoprotein><coronavirus disease 2019 spike protein><coronavirus disease 2019 virus><coronavirus disease crisis><coronavirus disease epidemic><coronavirus disease pandemic><coronavirus disease-19 global pandemic><coronavirus disease-19 pandemic><coronavirus disease-19 virus><developmental><drug treatment><experience><graduate student><hCoV19><hep C><hepatitis non A non B><host response><human CoV><human corona virus><human coronavirus><immune system response><immunoresponse><in vivo><infected with COVID-19><infected with COVID19><infected with SARS-CoV-2><infected with SARS-CoV2><infected with coronavirus disease 2019><infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2><insight><instrumentation><interventional strategy><mAb therapy><model of animal><model organism><nCoV2><neutralizing antibody><non A, non B hepatitis><non-A, non-B hepatitis><novel><operation><pandemic><pandemic disease><pandemic preparedness><pathogen><personnel><severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 global health crisis><severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 global pandemic><social role><structural biology><viral infection><viral multiplication><viral replication><virology><virus infection><virus multiplication><virus tropism><virus-induced disease>