From Our Partners
Saturday, June 25, 2022
News on Pathogens and Preparedness
Global Biodefense
  • Featured
  • COVID-19
  • Funding
  • Directory
  • Jobs
  • Events
  • Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • COVID-19
  • Funding
  • Directory
  • Jobs
  • Events
  • Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
Global Biodefense
No Result
View All Result
Home Biosecurity

NIAID Funds Eukaryotic Pathogen Genomics Database

by Global Biodefense Staff
January 5, 2015
EuPathDB Eukaryotic Pathogen Database

Credit: University of Pennsylvania

Significant reductions in the cost of genome sequencing in the past decade have ushered in the era of “Big Data,” where biologists collect immense datasets, seeking patterns that may explain important diseases or identify drug and vaccine targets. But to be useful this deluge of data must be organized, maintained and made accessible to researchers.

Since 2000, a team led by University of Pennsylvania and University of Georgia scientists has been responsible for developing genome database resources for microbial pathogens, including the parasites responsible for malaria, sleeping sickness, toxoplasmosis and many other important diseases.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) has awarded the institutions a new contract for 2014-15 worth $4.3 million to continue this important work. If all option years are exercised, the five-year award value is expected to total $23.4 million.

The contract supports the Eukaryotic Pathogen Genomics Database, or EuPathDB. By providing the global scientific community with free access to a wealth of genomic data related to pathogens important to human health and biosecurity, EuPathDB expedites biomedical research in the lab, field and clinic, enabling the development of innovative diagnostics, therapies and vaccines.

One of four Pathogen Bioinformatics Resource Centers, or BRCs, supported by the National Institutes of Health, EuPathDB encompasses disease-causing eukaryotes, which are organisms that possess a membrane-bound nucleus. Other BRCs support data on viruses, bacteria and insect vectors of disease.

Since its prototype was launched in 1999, EuPathDB has become increasingly complex and now comprises about nine terabytes of data and has been cited more than 8,000 times in the scientific literature.

The latest contract is the third time that the National Institutes of Health has awarded support to EuPathDB, building on previous contracts issued in 2004 and 2009, as well as prior grant funding from the NIH and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. Affiliated projects have also been supported by the Wellcome Trust,U.K., the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Sloan Foundation, the World Health Organization, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Brazilian government and other organizations.

Plasmodium species are responsible for malaria, causing an estimated 200 million illnesses and 600,000 deaths each year. These parasites were among the first to be integrated into EuPathDB, but the database has since expanded greatly, leveraging core infrastructure supported by the NIH contract to incorporate more than 3,000 genomes from more than 300 species.

Others include important threats to public water supplies, such as Cryptosporidium, Entamoeba and Giardia; Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite responsible for neurological disease in infants and immunocompromised adults; Trichomonas; and numerous other important fungal and agricultural pathogens.

“It is truly inspiring to see how access to these on-line resources has helped to invigorate and engage scientific colleagues around the world,” Roos said. “EuPathDB occupies a large global footprint.”

While NIH funding supports core infrastructure, additional partners have helped to expand the project’s reach. For example, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust helped extend the EuPathDB project to cover parasites responsible for Leishmania, African sleeping sickness and Chagas disease.

“Recent years have witnessed a dramatic increase in research and drug discovery for these organisms, and we are glad that EuPathDB has helped to move this work forward,” Roos said.

Using EuPathDB and other resources, researchers around the world can now conduct cutting-edge research “in silico,”on the computer, maximizing the chance of success when translated to the lab or clinic.

From Our Partners
Tags: BioinformaticsChagasHuman African TrypanosomiasisLeishmaniasisMalaria

Related Posts

Dual Use Research of Concern: NIH to Host Stakeholder Engagement Meeting on Oversight Policies
Biosecurity

Dual Use Research of Concern: NIH to Host Stakeholder Engagement Meeting on Oversight Policies

June 14, 2022
Chronic Wasting Disease: The Fatal Prion Infection Killing Elk and Deer in North America
Infectious Diseases

Chronic Wasting Disease: The Fatal Prion Infection Killing Elk and Deer in North America

June 10, 2022
BARDA and JPEO-CBRND Back Cepheid’s Multiplex Test for Influenza, SARS-CoV2 and RSV
Health Security

Resurgent COVID-19, Flu and Other Viruses are Pushing New Zealand’s Health System to the Limit

June 2, 2022
NIH to Further Invest in Point-of-Care Technologies Research Network
Biodetection

NIH to Further Invest in Point-of-Care Technologies Research Network

May 10, 2022
Load More

Latest News

Poliovirus Detected in London Sewage: Response Measures Emphasize Wastewater Surveillance and Vaccination Gaps

Poliovirus Detected in London Sewage: Response Measures Emphasize Wastewater Surveillance and Vaccination Gaps

June 22, 2022
Monkeypox Diagnostics: CDC Authorizes Five Commercial Lab Companies

Monkeypox Diagnostics: CDC Authorizes Five Commercial Lab Companies

June 22, 2022
UK Health Security Agency Widens Monkeypox Vaccine Umbrella for Outbreak Control

UK Health Security Agency Widens Monkeypox Vaccine Umbrella for Outbreak Control

June 21, 2022
Influenza Research

New Way to Identify Influenza A Virus Lights Up When Specific Virus Targets are Present

June 20, 2022

Subscribe

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Subscribe

© 2022 Stemar Media Group LLC

No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • COVID-19
  • Funding
  • Directory
  • Jobs
  • Events
  • Subscribe

© 2022 Stemar Media Group LLC