Colorado State University requests funds (to be matched with funds from the institution) to expand the BioEnvironmental Hazards Research Building (BHRB) currently in operation on the Foothills Campus. The Expansion will consist of 8,300 square feet of BSL-3 laboratory space that will be used by virologists currently investigating vector-borne viruses such as West Nile, St. Louis encephalitis virus, dengue, and the SARS coronavirus. This BSL-3 space will be complete with modern insectary space and support manipulation and laboratory space. The Expansion will also consist of an addition of 5,000 square feet of BSL-2 laboratory and office space that will support researchers investigating bacterial organisms responsible for tuberculosis and leprosy. These workers currently have no support space available at the Foothills campus, and providing this space will lead to much more efficient use of the isolation space they currently utilize in the existing BHRB. Space vacated by the virologists moving into the BHRB Expansion will occupied by researchers working with Mycobacteriwn species, particularly animal experiments involving the examination of animals exposed to aerosol challenge by these infectious agents. When completed, the BHRB Expansion will be an integral part of a research complex devoted to safe and efficient study of infectious diseases.
