UM Launches Pathogen Research Institute

David Mosser, MPRI founding director and University of Maryland professor of cell biology and molecular genetics

The University of Maryland has launched a research institute to study microorganisms that cause infectious diseases. The newly created Maryland Pathogen Research Institute, MPRI, will bring together leaders in the biosciences, computational sciences, engineering and nanosciences. These innovative collaborations within MPRI share the goal of developing a comprehensive research program to find new ways to diagnose, treat and prevent the spread of pathogens.

"In a time when infectious diseases such as avian influenza, HIV AIDS and the spread of pathogens through bioterrorism loom as threats to human health around the world, new methods for discovering and detecting pathogens and finding cures for infectious diseases will require the kind of multidisciplinary approaches we have at MPRI," said David Mosser, MPRI founding director and professor of cell biology and molecular genetics.

MPRI collaborations will provide new opportunities for researchers to pursue pathogen research. For example, MPRI researchers will use sophisticated advances in computational biology to analyze and understand the complex genetic controls that contribute to the pathogenicity of disease-causing microorganisms. Novel uses of nanotechnologies and other bioengineering methodologies also will allow MPRI researchers to develop highly advanced detection, diagnostic and therapeutic modalities.

MPRI will be housed in the university's new Biosciences Research Building, scheduled to open this summer. MPRI will take up the entire top floor and will include two high-level containment BSL-3 facilities, which allow scientists to safely study pathogens. Some of the projects that MPRI researchers are already involved in include studies on the causative agents of food-poisoning, sexually transmitted diseases, respiratory illnesses, and biowarfare.

MPRI is located near a number of government agencies, research institutions and more than 300 Maryland biotechnology companies that research pathogens and infectious disease, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Food and Drug Administration, biodefense laboratories at Fort Detrick and Fort Meade, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Children's Hospital and Johns Hopkins University.

"The development of the biosciences, biotechnology and bioengineering has been a top priority of the university and President Mote," said Norma Allewell, Dean of the College of Chemical and Life Sciences, which houses MPRI. "MPRI will provide the support and infrastructure needed to successfully bring together these conspicuous strengths on campus and seek external collaborations to bring pathogen research to the forefront."