With the rise of infectious diseases, like the Zika virus and Ebola virus, research centered on these diseases has risen in importance over the last few years. The University of California, Irvine has become a leader in infectious disease research thanks to a prestigious designation by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The high-containment biosafety level 3 training laboratory (BSL-3) at UC Irvine was recently designated as a National Biosafety & Biocontainment Training Center, making it the third such center in the United States.
Although both Kansas State University and Kent State University have laboratories that have also received this designation, the UC Irvine lab is the only one in the country that was designed and built specifically for educational purposes. (Image in the public domain, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
Dr. Howard Federoff, Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs explained that: “The National Training Center designation from NIH further establishes UCI as a leader in an area of research that is critically important for the public’s health. As a world-class research university, it’s in our DNA to continuously explore and to improve training.”
The UC Irvine lab was built in 2015 to provide 1,600 square-feet of classroom space for researchers to receive practical training in infectious disease research in a real-life setting. In the lab, UCI researchers are able to study hazardous materials without risking contamination to other operational labs on campus. The BSL-3 designation allows UCI researchers to study many of the emerging pathogens for viruses such as Ebola, Zika, and West Nile that cannot be studied in un-designated facilities.
“Our center leaders bring several decades of their own experience in infectious disease research labs to the program, giving them an informed perspective on what world-class training should look like,” explained UCI's Dr. Alpesh Amin, from the Department of Medicine. “Already, more than 1,000 people have completed the nationally recognized UCI program carrying critical safety practices back to labs in federal and state governments, the military, public health agencies and more than 25 universities from the U.S. and abroad.”
(Image of the UC Irvine Science Library courtesy of Mikejuinwind123, via Wikimedia Commons)
The University of California, Irvine is a leading institution in terms of the amount of funding it receives annually and the research it produces. In the 2015 fiscal year, the university received more than $107.9 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This funding will greatly benefit multiple research projects and new building constructions throughout all life science departments.
Departments at the university receiving substantial amounts of this funding include:
- Internal Medicine/Medicine - $10.6 million
- Anatomy/Cell Biology - $10.3 million
- Neurology - $8.9 million
- Pediatrics - $8.5 million
- Biochemistry - $7.4 million
With all this funding, researchers at the University of California, Irvine have the means to purchase many new lab products that will help with their studies and clinical trials. Biotechnology Calendar, Inc. produces an annual BioResearch Product Faire™ event in Irvine that is the premiere opportunity to market lab products to active life science researchers at the university. This annual event brings active researchers together with scientific supply companies, so that the researchers can find the best and newest products and technologies to further their work.
To learn more about participating in this popular event, visit the link below:
Researchers in Irvine interested in discovering the best and newest tools and technologies available for lab use are invited to attend the upcoming October event. To learn more, and pre-register for this complimentary event, visit the link below:
