The following institutions were awarded:
Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Principal investigators: Neel Gandhi, MD; Jyothi Rengarajan, PhD
Grant: P30AI168386
The Emory/Georgia TRAC and partner institutions will provide financial, logistical, and intellectual resources via a Developmental Core, Clinical and Population Science Core, Basic and Translational Science Core, and Bioinformatics and Integrated Systems Biology Core. These Cores will provide training and access to study populations in high burden countries and the US, resources for BSL3 laboratory-based and animal model research, and opportunities to utilize cutting-edge technologies and systems biology studies. Finally, the TRAC will provide mentorship and support for early-stage and non-TB investigators and create shared data and specimen biorepositories.
Website: https://tb.emory.edu/
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Principal Investigators: Petros Karakousis, MD; Richard Chaisson, MD
Grant: P30AI168436
Working with partners and collaborators at clinical sites in Baltimore and multiple countries, the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) TRAC will enhance the integration, productivity, and impact of JHU TB research through support of interdisciplinary collaborations; provide mentoring, support, and pilot funding for the next generation of TB researchers; support TB research through services provided by four research Cores (Clinical; Microbiology, Immunology, Animal Modeling and Imaging; Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics; and Bioinformatics, Modeling, and Biostatistics); and contribute to the END TB goals through global engagement, training, outreach, and collaboration with partners in high-burden countries.
Website: http://tbcenter.jhu.edu/
Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX
Principal Investigator: Larry Schlesinger, MD
Grant: P30AI168439
The Interdisciplinary NexGen TRAC (IN-TRAC) will provide support for theoretical and hands-on training for biosafety and biocontainment, and single cell imaging and whole-body imaging in mice and non-human primates via the Biosafety and Biocontainment, Research Imaging and Animal Model Cores. The center will also implement a training program to introduce all IN-TRAC participants to the regulatory requirements for working with such animal species. The Clinical Core will allow IN-TRAC participants to be introduced to TB patient care at the only free-standing TB hospital in the US (Texas Center of Infectious Diseases). Partnering with this will be a clinical research effort at the US-Mexico border in under-served and under-resourced communities. The Developmental Core will provide oversight of all career development programming and courses, tailoring research and clinical experiences to each individual IN-TRAC participant.
Website: https://www.txbiomed.org/research/in-trac/
University of California, San Francisco
Principal Investigators: Payam Nahid, MD; Jeffrey Cox, PhD
Grant: P30AI168440
The UCSF-UCB TRAC will accelerate the pace of research for TB to develop new tools for diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of TB. They will support New Investigators (NI) and investigators entering the TB research field by providing pilot awards, training, longitudinal mentorship, opportunities for collaborative research and other key services and resources. The Center includes a Basic Science Core to lower barriers experienced by investigators through technologies accessible in BSL-3/ABSL-3 facilities; a Clinical Science Core to accelerate clinical research and a Developmental Core to develop scientific leaders in TB research via a platform of services.
Website: http://www.uctrac.org
University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Principal Investigators: Chetan Seshadri, MD; Rhea Coler, PhD; David Sherman, PhD
Grant: P30AI168034
The Seattle TRAC (SEA-TRAC) will leverage partnerships with local academic and non-academic entities as well as international partners to oversee educational, training, and grant programs designed to foster career development of investigators by way of a Development Core. A Clinical and Translational Science Core will lead training and consulting in clinical research methodology and foster collaborative research internationally. A Basic Science Core will provide training for scientists new to working in the BSL3 environment and advanced microbiology and immunology methods. A Data Sciences Core will leverage strengths in Biostatistics, Computational Biology and Modeling, to host community building events, provide training to scientists that are new to data science, and offer consulting services for advanced research questions.
Website: https://seatrac.uw.edu/
Weill Medical College of Cornell University
Principal Investigators: Daniel Fitzgerald, MD; Kyu Rhee, MD
Grant: P30AI168433
The Tri-Institutional TRAC will leverage the expertise and resources of TB investigators with diverse expertise at Cornell University and partnering institutions. The Developmental Core will fund Developmental Project Awards annually to support new investigators and “new to TB” investigators. The Clinical Science Core will leverage long-standing collaborations in Haiti and Tanzania to promote collaborations and training opportunities in international research. The Basic Science Core will operate in close collaboration with the Developmental Core to provide structured mentorship, technical expertise, and scientific resources to pilot award recipients, and facilitate sharing of technology and resources among investigators.