As recently as twenty years ago, some prominent scientists declared the impending end of infectious diseases as a serious threat to human health. The subsequent emergence and re-emergence of a variety of infectious diseases, including AIDS, antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections, tuberculosis, gastrointestinal ulcers, virus-induced cancers, and West Nile virus encephalitis, to name a few, provide dramatic proof that this prediction was premature. Moreover, there is now a pressing need for increased understanding of microbial pathogens that might be used for biowarfare purposes such as anthrax.

The University of Michigan Medical School already possesses considerable expertise in microbial pathogenesis and the host response to infectious agents. However, the EBS has determined that certain strategic investments could propel Michigan past its competitors in the area of host-pathogen interactions. These investments form the core of the EBS Host-Pathogens Interactions Initiative.

In support of the Host-Pathogen Interactions Initiative, the EBS has approved funding for:

• The recruitment of faculty within specific disciplines that would complement existing areas of expertise and fill deficits in our capabilities in the area of host-pathogen interactions;
• Construction of an Animal Biosafety Level-3 Facility;
• Upgrades of the existing Biosafety Level-3 (BSL-3) wet lab;
• The purchase of new equipment for the BSL-3 wet lab;
• Development of a gnotobiotic animal facility;
• Support to the Live Cell Fluorescent Imaging Facility for a fast 4D FRET microscope for imaging protein interactions in living cells
• And support to fund pilot proposals in biodefense and vaccinology over a two-year period.

The establishment of this initiative is very timely with respect to the greatly increased interest in the fields of biodefense and vaccinology and the fact that the NIH has earmarked substantial funding for research in these areas. The Host-Pathogen Interaction Initiative brings together faculty members from all nine of the participating units in the EBS.