Colorado State University’s Foothills Research Campus Receives $4 Million Grant for Continued Expansion

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a $4 million grant to Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences to help expand the Bioenvironmental Research building at the university’s Foothills Research Campus.

The expansion, slated to begin in 2006, will provide additional space for infectious disease research at the campus. The college’s major expansion project will add laboratory space for infectious diseases research and enhance existing space.

"The university’s Bioenvironmental Research building is an important component to the university’s work to address global public health concerns," said Hank Gardner, vice president of research at Colorado State. "As a leader in addressing health issues such as infectious diseases, it is imperative that our facilities be up-to-date and provide researchers with a safe environment that best equips them for scientific discovery."

The $4 million grant from NIH significantly furthers the development of a global center in infectious diseases research here at Colorado State University, said Dr. Lance Perryman, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

"To address emerging diseases and bioterrorism threats, our researchers and research partners need additional, modern laboratories where they can conduct studies in a contained environment with state-of-the-art equipment," Perryman said. "The expansion of this facility, scheduled for completion in 2009, will help us meet those needs."

Scientists at College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences have been international leaders in infectious diseases research for more than 25 years. Current programs target arthropod-borne diseases, prion-based illnesses, retroviruses and the role of mycobacterial diseases such as tuberculosis and leprosy. The Foothills Research Campus houses one of the largest tuberculosis research programs in the world, also funded by National Institutes of Health grants.  

In June, a $40 million grant to the university from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease established a Regional Center of Excellence for Emerging and Infectious Diseases at the Foothills Research Campus. Center personnel will study the causes, spread and prevention of important infectious diseases, provide training to professionals about emerging diseases and bioterrorism threats, and address national needs for new vaccines, diagnostics and therapies for infectious diseases. The center will focus on zoonotic pathogens – pathogens that spread from animals to people – which are the source of many emerging infectious diseases throughout the world.

The $4 million grant to expand the Bioenvironmental Research building requires matching funds from the university to construct the facility as planned. To match those funds, the administration has committed $3 million and the college will provide an additional $1 million.  

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