( nia. They also will maintain a high-thr...)NIAID expands capability for influenza research and surveillance

University of Minnesota, Minneapolis (principal investigator—Dr. Marguerite Pappaiaonou) These researchers will conduct international and domestic animal flu surveillance covering all major domestic flight paths of migratory birds. This center also will carry out a human influenza surveillance study in Thailand and will monitor U.S. agricultural workers who work with swine.

Emory University, Atlanta (principal investigator—Dr. Richard Compans) This center will conduct studies to determine how influenza viruses adapt to new hosts and are transmitted between different hosts, and analyze human immune responses to influenza vaccination and infection. The researchers will examine how human genes might be silenced to decrease or eliminate flu infections; identify new targets for antiviral medicines; and evaluate flu transmission between patients and physicians in the hospital emergency room setting. Emory will also offer a training program for postdoctoral fellows and veterinarians interested in influenza and other research performed in a biosafety level 3 laboratory.

Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York City (principal investigator—Dr. Adolfo Garcia-Sastre) These researchers will conduct molecular studies to identify influenza virus genes associated with the development of disease, the adaptability of flu viruses in birds and mammals, and the transmission of flu viruses between different hosts.

University of Rochester, Rochester, NY (principal investigator—Dr. John Treanor) Dr. Treanor and his colleagues will establish a human surveillance system that will monitor selected communities in New York for seasonal flu virus infections, and will study the effecti
'"/>

Source:NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases