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Thomas J. Kindt, Ph.D., Director, DIR, NIAID
Dr. Kindt gave an overview of budget, personnel, and news for his Division. DIR has 553 doctoral level staff divided among 11 branch chiefs, section heads, and principal investigators. The 118 principal investigators each have a review every four years and have a budget assigned to them that is subject to this review. This year, the three laboratories reviewed (Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, Laboratory of Host Defenses, and the Laboratory of Immunoregulation) all received excellent marks and will continue to receive support.
Some new programs are underway. DIR recruited Dr. Jim Musser from Baylor University to head a lab of Human Bacterial Pathogenesis at the Rocky Mountain facility. DIR also started a biosafety level 3 lab, the first one within the Institute that is truly BSL-3 where investigators can work on drug-resistant tuberculosis. DIR has also improved its microscopy facility and began a malaria vaccine development unit as well as a training program in monolayer issues. In Mali, NIAID built a guest house for eight residents that will be used by students from the US in the Minority Training Program. The effort is a joint venture with the NIH Office of Minority Health and is managed by the University of Maryland School of Medicine, through which the students are recruited. Working directly with malaria researchers, the students can go on rounds at the hospital at the University of Mali. Ten students have already trained there.
The Rocky Mountain renovation continues, reported Dr. Kindt. The 1930s-era buildings had to be upgraded completely mainly because of the seismic problems in the region. Every wall had to be rebuilt to make it OSHA acceptable. Dr. Kindt hopes the renovation will be completed in summer of 2001.
Dr. Kindt also told Council that several DIR labs are working on vaccines for acute respiratory tract diseases, some of which are in phase I and phase II trials.
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