Overall Abstract The National Biocontainment Laboratory (NBL) at Boston University (BU) is known as the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL). It is owned and operated by BU and is located on the Boston University Medical Campus (BUMC) adjacent to the BU School of Medicine, the Graduate Sciences program, the BU School of Public Health, and the affiliated teaching hospital, Boston Medical Center. The NEIDL's missions are: (1) To perform innovative basic, translational and clinical research on emerging infectious diseases in order to develop diagnostic tests, treatments and vaccines to promote the public's health; (2) To provide training in these areas of research and to support a national response in the event of a biodefense emergency; and (3) To establish a research facility with the highest attention to community and laboratory safety and security. In order to successfully achieve these missions, the NEIDL's goals are to: (1) Recruit and develop a cadre of investigators and research staff with expertise in the scientific disciplines required to investigate the pathogenesis of emerging infectious diseases caused by category A, B and C agents, including collaborations within the university, in the United States, and internationally; (2) Develop animal models for the comparative study of these pathogens, mimicking as closely as possible the human disease process, and build capacity for the creation and use of relevant animal models and innovative veterinary research support; (3) Perform translational, preclinical and clinical research in animals and humans; (4) Develop the methodologies needed to advance the development and testing of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics for these agents; (5) Train the next generation of research scientists and related support personnel in the requirements to perform maximum containment research in a safe and secure environment;( 6) Maintain the flexibility needed to support a national response in the event of a biodefense emergency; (7) Establish a "safety first" environment for the conduct of all activities in the Institute. Since opening for research at the BSL-4 and ABSL-4 levels in 2018, NEIDL has rapidly moved forward to recruit additional faculty whose skills and interests both expand and complement existing expertise, bring innovative new insights and methodology to expand our scientific capabilities, open up research on new pathogens. In order to advance vaccines and therapeutics, the NEIDL has expanded its Regulatory Compliance Group and practices to permit studies to be carried out under Well- Documented practices. The NEIDL focuses on and supports innovative science, led by our faculty investigators, and as a result we also continue to evolve our integrated research support services to provide support needed for BSL-4 research to better reflect and provide access to new technology and research approaches, in order to remain at the leading edge of science.

Project Narrative Newly emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases represent continuing threats to human health, both nationally and globally. To improve our ability to diagnose, treat and prevent these potentially pandemic pathogens, we must understand their biology and pathogenic mechanisms in order to develop the tools we need. The mission of the NEIDL is to conduct this basic and translational research in a safe and secure environment, and through our research and collaborations accelerate the research and development of diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines for known and still to be identified emerging microbial threats.