NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has granted $67.5 million to fund four Bioinformatics Research Centers, including a $27.7 million grant to the Virginia Tech that will support pathogen studies.
As reported yesterday by GenomeWeb Daily News sister publication BioInform, on top of the $27.7 million granted to Virginia Tech's Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, the BCR funding also was awarded to Northrop Grumman Information Technology, the University of Notre Dame, and the University of Pennsylvania.
The BRC funding will go to integrate information on pathogens, support scientists in their research, and help them analyze genomic, proteomic, and the other data that their research generates.
At VBI, the grant will specifically support the CyberInfrastructure Group, which has led its own BRC over the past five years and has worked with others around the country, according to CIG Director Bruno Sobral, who is a principal investigator on the project.
The BRC grant will fund the CIG's pathogen studies and efforts over the next five years.
"As we move ahead, we will be working hand-in-hand with a wide range of partners, including medical schools and public health institutions interested in translating the very latest scientific discoveries and innovation into practical health benefits for society at large," said Sobral.
The overall program will include the four centers and a new gateway portal for the entire project, which CIG will develop.
Each BRC will focus on one type of pathogen, including bacterial species, viral families, protozoan species, and invertebrate vectors of human pathogens.