NIH Funds Influenza Research and Surveillance Network

Influenza scientists at five sites in the US are to receive funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to collaborate with investigators around the globe in a network designed to advance understanding of influenza viruses and how they cause disease.

In addition to basic research, investigators in the Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance (CEIRS) network also conduct domestic and international influenza surveillance studies with an emphasis on rapid characterization of viruses that have the potential to cause pandemics. The first CEIRS network was launched in 2007 by NIAID, part of the National Institutes of Health. NIAID today announced awards of the new contracts to continue the programme for 7 years.

“The CEIRS network exemplifies NIAID’s dual mission of conducting basic and applied influenza research, while maintaining the ability to respond rapidly in the event of an emerging public health threat,” said NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, MD. “CEIRS investigators have contributed greatly to our understanding of how influenza viruses emerge from wild and domestic animals, their adaptation to and global circulation throughout the human population and the interplay between the viruses and human immune responses.” Dr Fauci added that the CEIRS network also played a critical role in the nation’s response to the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic by, for example, quickly characterizing the virus and performing pre-clinical testing of candidate vaccines.

The geographic range of sample collection sites will be more tightly focused than previously on those regions where new influenza viruses are likely to emerge and the network will further integrate basic research with surveillance data gathering, said CEIRS project officer Diane Post, PhD, of NIAID’s Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

“A key mission of the CEIRS network is to foster innovative and collaborative basic research on influenza viruses, including how they evolve and adapt to animal and human hosts. The information we gain could help us understand why influenza pandemics occur and could assist health officials in taking steps to mitigate outbreaks,” Dr Post said.

Four of the new CEIRS contracts are to institutions that had received a 2007 award. One institution, Johns Hopkins University, will establish a new center. All will conduct surveillance and basic research projects. The network has a global reach, with collaborations established or planned at more than two dozen sites in Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, South America, Europe and Australia. Funding for the first year of the contracts will total approximately $23 million.

“Proposed work from all five centers involves new and exciting research programs that hold the promise to answer fundamental questions pertaining to influenza in animals and people,” said Dr Post.

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