# Regional Biocontainment Laboratory (RBL) Upgrade for Colorado State University (CSU)

> **NIH NIH G20** · COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $3,299,989

## Abstract

Project Abstract:
The realization that our national and global communities are at risk from intentional, incidental, or
emergent release of an infectious disease catalyzed our nation's commitment to invest in national
and regional biocontainment laboratories as part of our public health and emergency
preparedness system. The foothills campus at Colorado State University is home to one of these
regional biocontainment laboratories, the Rocky Mountain Regional Biocontainment Laboratory
(RMRBL). This laboratory was built in 2007, opened in 2008, and was the first of 12 designated
laboratories to operate with select agent use certification. In the 14 years since its opening, our
facility has thrived as a center of biodefense and emerging infectious disease research,
responding to threats from re-emergent diseases, such as tuberculosis, and emerging infectious
diseases, such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus, Zika, and notably, Severe
Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2. This facility is truly unique in its capacity as it
supports BSL3/ASBL3 and BSL2 basic research of a large number of emerging and re-emerging
pathogens, and at the same time, supports the GLP/GMP testing and manufacturing of products
(diagnostic reagents, vaccines, and therapeutics) in a BSL3 environment. Despite the RMRBL's
success and strengths, a sole reliance on institutional commitment and service charges to
investigators to support the costs of 1) operational and safety requirements of the facility; 2)
animal care facilities and husbandry dedicated to infectious diseases; and 3) specialized
equipment upgrades and repairs, present a major challenge to this facility's ability to remain at
the forefront of research in pathogens of high consequence. The proactive and professional
management of the RMRBL, and strong extramural funding of infectious diseases research at
Colorado State University have allowed us to navigate these challenges; however, the continued
aging of the facility coupled with the major costs of modernization and major facility and
specialized equipment upgrades threaten the sustainability of the RMRBLs capacity to support
state-of-the-art infectious disease research. In this application, we propose three aims that
respectively address the needs to 1) upgrade operational and safety requirements of the facility,
2) maintain animal care facilities and husbandry dedicated to infectious diseases, and 3)
modernize specialized equipment via strategic investments. The specific items selected under
each aim as a critical investment were selected via a prioritization process that sought input from
the major RMRBL and institutional stake holders and were determined to have the greatest impact
on uninterrupted and accelerated research on high-containment pathogens and response to
infectious disease outbreaks.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10393892
- **Project number:** 1G20AI167348-01
- **Recipient organization:** COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Karen Marie Dobos
- **Activity code:** G20 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $3,299,989
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-09-23 → 2025-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10393892

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10393892, Regional Biocontainment Laboratory (RBL) Upgrade for Colorado State University (CSU) (1G20AI167348-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10393892. Licensed CC0.

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