Strengthening the ISMMS research and response capabilities for pathogens of pandemic potential

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) is an international leader in medical and scientific training, biomedical research, and patient care. The ISMMS is the medical school for the Mount Sinai Health System (MSHS), which includes eight hospital campuses within the New York City metropolitan area that is a major focal point of international travel. The MSHS leveraged its large metropolitan footprint by establishing pathogen discovery and pandemic surveillance activities. The Department of Microbiology maintains robust research programs that are focused on investigating the biology of new and emerging RNA viruses with pandemic potential and developing novel medical countermeasures against these RNA that are focus of the NIH Antiviral Program for Pandemics (APP). These research programs include pandemic preparedness efforts focused seven RNA virus families or orders of greatest pandemic concern, i.e., Bunyavirales, Coronaviridae, Filoviridae, Flaviviridae, Paramyxoviridae, Picornaviridae, and Togaviridae. Since 2017, faculty members of the Department of Microbiology have co-authored over 250 peer-reviewed publications on these viral pathogens of public health concern. The Department of Microbiology is internationally recognized for its influenza research programs, including investigation of highly pathogenic influenza viruses that require enhanced biocontainment facilities and safety protocols. The BSL-3/ABSL-3 biocontainment facilities are essential shared resources that ensure biosafety and biosecurity of RNA viruses of significant public health concern and to safely conduct research investigating the biology of viral pathogens with pandemic potential. Our application is focused on infrastructure improvements to modernize three biocontainment facilities to improve biosafety, improve efficiency of operations, and expand research capabilities. The first aim of the infrastructure improvements focus on upgrades of the HVAC, autoclaves, biological safety cabinets, and ventilated animal caging systems to modernize and improve the efficiency of operations of the biocontainment facilities. The second aim of the infrastructure improvements to improve biocontainment research workflow on pathogens with pandemic potential focus, including BioTek multimode microplate readers, imaging stations, and a Luminex platform for multiplex immunoassays.