Vanderbilt University and Meharry Medical College are uniquely positioned to contribute new knowledge in? the field of AIDS research. Vanderbilt has a strong core of basic and clinical scientists working in the HIV? field, and has top-notch clinical trials in the areas of therapy and vaccines. Meharry has an independent? basic HIV research program and considerable expertise in healthcare research relevant to minority? populations. The Vanderbilt-Meharry CFAR Virology Core will provide laboratory capabilities that will greatly? enhance AIDS research at both institutions.? The overall objective of the Virology Core is to foster new discoveries by providing common? resources and infrastructure that will link basic scientists to clinical scientists at both institutions.? This objective will be achieved through carrying out four specific aims. Efforts outlined in Aim I will provide? centralized facilities and expert staff to assist in laboratory-based experimentation with HIV. A new state-ofthe-? art Biosafety Level 3 facility has been constructed and is available to CFAR members, along with expert? instruction and training in BSL3 practices. The second specific aim of the Core is to promote and enhance? discovery in HIV research at Vanderbilt and Meharry through common access to unique reagents and clinical? specimens. A Reagent and Specimen Repository has been created that will enhance the number and? quality of HIV reagents available to HIV researchers on both campuses; this repository will be expanded to? meet current and future demands during the requested funding period.
In Aim III, the Core will provide stateof-? the-art virologic and genetic assays relevant to basic and clinical research in HIV biology. Standard? virologic assays, such as p24 antigen ELISA, as well innovative new technologies will be offered to the? research communities at Vanderbilt and Meharry.
Aim I V is focused on HIV imaging. Efforts described in this? Aim will link HIV researchers with existing imaging strengths at Vanderbilt. In addition, two state-of-the-art? imaging stations have been set up within BSL3 space. Experts in confocal and deconvolution microscopy? will assist CFAR researchers in applying the latest imaging modalities to their research questions. The CFAR? Virology Core will thus provide significant added value to new researchers entering the HIV field and to? established investigators on both campuses. The laboratory services offered through the Virology Core will? synergize with the strong clinical research base at both institutions, will integrate seamlessly with the other? core services outlined in this CFAR application, and will stimulate important new discoveries in HIV? pathogenesis, therapeutics, and prevention.
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