Colorado State University has several experts who can talk with reporters about the Ebola outbreak.

CSU does not work with the Ebola virus. The university does not have a Biosafety Level 4 facility, the highest safety level, which is required for research with Ebola and other highly dangerous pathogens.

Yet CSU has substantial expertise in infectious diseases; its researchers can discuss history of Ebola, its characteristics, how it spreads, biosafety procedures and biocontainment.

These researchers, and their areas of expertise, include:

• Charles Calisher, professor emeritus of microbiology, immunology and pathology and author of “Lifting the Impenetrable Veil: From Yellow Fever to Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever and SARS,” can discuss the history of Ebola and its characteristics.

• Bob Ellis, CSU biosafety officer and professor of microbiology, immunology and pathology, can discuss biosafety procedures and biocontainment – the methods used for handling, researching and safely containing viruses, bacteria and other pathogens that cause infectious disease.

• Rick Lyons, director of CSU’s Infectious Disease Research Center (http://idrc.colostate.edu), can discuss how Ebola spreads and therapies under development. The center he directs houses about 50,000 square feet of Biosafety Level 2 and Biosafety Level 3 laboratory space; its researchers focus on well-known and emerging infectious diseases.

• Alan Rudolph, CSU vice president for research, can discuss Ebola as a threat to defending the U.S., public health and safety. Before joining CSU to lead its research enterprise about a year ago, Rudolph was director of biological and chemical technologies for the U.S. Department of Defense/Department of Homeland Security. In this role, he was responsible for overseeing $500 million a year in research and development against select agents and biological and chemical threats.

To schedule an interview, contact Jeff Dodge at (970) 491-4251 or Jeff.Dodge@colostate.edu.

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