Safety First: How to Safely Work with Infectious Agents

If you’ve been following IDRI’s story, you’ll know we just moved into fancy new digs at 1616 Eastlake. Our new purpose built laboratories provide a much more efficient and spacious working environment for all, including us (TB Discovery Group, aka TB Disco).

As part of our move, we have expanded our specialized laboratories, in particular our Biosafety Level 3 or “BSL-3” labs. We work to discover new drugs against the bacterium that causes tuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. These bacteria infect via the respiratory route, normally when people with TB cough, sneeze, spit, or even sing. Breathing in the bugs can lead to an infection and eventually the lung disease. As you might imagine, when working with such dangerous organisms, we have to take special precautions to stop us catching or spreading TB.

All of our BSL-3 work is carried out under controlled conditions in special laboratories designed to keep everyone involved safe. These labs follow an amazing number of federal, state and local rules and regulations. Our scientists receive extensive training in handling M. tuberculosis, in complying with these important regulations, and receive constant health monitoring too. (more…)

Explore. Learn. Engage. Join IDRI at the Seattle Science Festival!

Believe it or not, summer is just around the corner. True to their nature, the people of Seattle are already making grand plans to maximize the number of activities to enjoy in this wonderful city, while also trying to spend as much time outside to absorb as much Vitamin D as possible. With the promising weather we’ve had this May, and the upcoming warmer temperature of the summer months, the 2013 summer in Seattle is sure to be a busy one!

Among all the buzz and activities that are coming up, one of IDRI’s favorites is the Seattle Science Festival, taking place at the Seattle Center from June 6-16. The festival is an 11-day celebration of science and technology that’s happening within the Washington state community, and it is the region’s only large-scale affair that features hundreds of hands-on exhibits, shows and cool demonstrations. With over 150 exhibits that are meant to engage and educate in all different categories of science and technology (from glowing bacteria to prosthetic limbs), there is bound to be something for everyone that attends, no matter the age!

During the Seattle Science Festival, IDRI will be one of the 150 exhibitors featured on Science EXPO Day, happening on Saturday, June 8, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. This is a one-day event that showcases the best of Washington in the categories of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and how they all play a role in the work being done in our communities, and around the world. Make sure to stop by our booth and pretend to be a scientist for a day! We will be on hand, teaching how to pipette (a skill every budding scientist needs to master!) and how that tool, as well as countless others, helps us in our global health mission of combating infectious diseases like tuberculosis, leishmaniasis and leprosy.

Hope to see you there!

A Lack of Immunity

Virtually every continent in the 21^st century is connected today, so diseases in the developing world can quickly become diseases in the developed world, too.

To be sure, diseases once thought to be rare or exotic in the United States are gaining a presence and getting new attention from medical researchers who are probing how immigration, limited access to care, expanded air travel, and the impacts of climate change are influencing their spread.

Recent examples of this include the 2003 SARS outbreak and the 2009 spread of the novel H1N1 influenza.

Chagas disease is another good case in point. It’s predominantly found in Latin America, but the population flows northward have brought it to the United States, where it has become a threat to the blood supply. All told, there are 8-11 million people who are unaware that they are infected with the pathogen that causes Chagas disease. Being able to diagnose the disease rapidly and accurately is of utmost importance. IDRI’s proprietary recombinant fusion protein is now being used in tests, developed in collaboration with partners, to diagnose Chagas disease in the U.S. and Latin America.

The lesson here is that global health is a global issue. And nobody on our planet is immune to the trauma and tragedy that almost inevitably accompanies disease. IDRI’s long-held scientific mission is to lessen – and ultimately eliminate – this pain, suffering and mortality for people everywhere.

From Rio de Janeiro to Seattle: Fighting TB

It’s been nearly four months since I arrived in Seattle. The time just flies away as it feels like it was yesterday! On the other hand, it seems that an eternity has passed since I started to plan for my one year of Ph.D. studies abroad, and it just happened last August!

I’m a Ph.D. student from Brazil, where I studied at Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), one of the most important health research institutes in Latin America. FIOCRUZ specializes in tropical and neglected diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, leishmaniasis and so many others that affect the Brazilian population. At FIOCRUZ, there are scientists from different fields, ranging from genetics to epidemiology, studying molecular biology.

I’ve been “working” at FIOCRUZ with Dr. Graça Henriques, since 2004 when I was just an undergraduate pharmacy student. As soon as I finished my studies at university, I started my master’s in science at FIOCRUZ. I wanted to continue the studies that I had initiated: testing compounds against Mycobacterium bovis (BCG) infection under the perspective of the host cell. In 22 months, I finished my master’s but I had the feeling that I need more so I started the Ph.D. program. My thesis project consists of testing a compound against mycobacteria infection but as soon as I move forward in my research, I encountered some problems that blocked my way. One of them was crucial: I was not able to work with Mycobacterium tuberculosis because of our lack of infrastructure (no BSL3 lab around). Another thing that bothered me a lot was the fact that, as with all academic institutions, the focus was not on studying compounds with the potential to drugs against neglected diseases. I always wanted to do something that could make a difference in the fight against tuberculosis! (more…)

GiveBIG — and stretch your gift!

Who can resist stretching a dollar? On Wednesday, May 15, we all have a chance to do just that for a great cause: IDRI!

IDRI is taking part in the Seattle Foundation’s annual GiveBIG program, a one-day (midnight to midnight, May 15) online charitable giving event. If you donate a gift during this timeframe to IDRI, the Seattle Foundation will “stretch” your dollars – up to $25,000 per contributor per organization – with a prorated match.

And, because 2013 marks IDRI’s 20th anniversary, we’re taking it one step farther. To honor that milestone in our history, an anonymous donor has made available a $13,000 matching challenge grant as a match for donations we receive through GiveBIG on Wednesday. What a great way to stretch your dollars even more!

How does this work? It’s easy: simply visit IDRI’s page at the Seattle Foundation on Wednesday, May 15, and click on the “Donate Now” button.

Your gift to IDRI will improve global health by
• Supporting the discovery of world-class technologies.
• Enabling the development of much-needed products – diagnostics, drugs and vaccines.
• Training young scientists from around the world, creating the workforce of the future.

Thank you for giving a donation to IDRI on Wednesday – the gift will honor our 20th anniversary as well as honor your commitment to improving global health.