The Bernice Barbour
Communicable Disease
Laboratory
Creating a synergy of
scientific thought...

Major Areas of Research

Founding Support

Your Participation


Contact

Updated 02/06/03

Under the
auspices of the
Center for
Equine Health

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Mission

Research devoted to investigating the mechanisms by which all infectious disease is produced.
 

The Health Risk
Infectious, communicable diseases pose one of the major threats to world-wide health in the 21st century. Currently, the capacity of many infectious organisms to adapt and mutate far exceeds the medical community's ability to respond with new strategies for control. The resilience of these pathogenic microbes, together with the rapidity that humans and animals currently circumnavigate the globe, present today's biomedical scientists with, perhaps, their most difficult challenge.
 

Global Outlook
The rising importance of international commerce in food production, the continued contamination of the world's environment and the speed with which the globe is circumnavigated means that any infectious agent has the potential to threaten international health.
 

Program Goals
  1. To conduct research that will identify the mechanisms by which infectious microorganisms cause disease utilizing the horse* as the initial investigative model.

  2. To develop an international network of collaborating scientists and laboratories that will aid and promote the implementation of disease prevention strategies on a global basis.

  3. To foster and develop skills, knowledge and expertise in infectious diseases among the next generation of veterinary research scientists.

*Our researchers believe that because the horse is second only to humans in the speed and rapidity with which it traverses the globe, it is an ideal model to study communicable disease transmission in this modern age. While the horse and its infectious agents constitute the initial investigatory model for this program, our research is not limited to this or any other species. The BBCDL's mechanistic approach facilitates the application of acquired knowledge to all disease, regardless of the host species or infectious agent involved.

 

Your Participation
While the Bernice Barbour Foundation, Inc. has underwritten the core scientific and operational aspects of this program, the BBCDL continues to seek additional charitable donations to help it realize its goal of developing strategic mechanisms to control the spread of disease. Individuals and organizations are encouraged to join in this effort by funding specific research projects within the parent program or by contributing to the BBCDL's overall scientific endeavor. For further information on how you can help, e-mail CEH Webmaster.