Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Partners with University of Liverpool, UK for International Research Alliance.Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers ATLANTA, Ga. & LIVERPOOL, UK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 6, 2003 Alliance Will Focus on Infectious and Parasitic Disease A parasitic disease is an infectious disease caused or transmitted by a parasite. Many parasites do not cause disease per se. Parasitic diseases can affect practically all living organisms, from plants to man. The study of parasitic diseases is called by parasitology. Research to Enable New Business Opportunities and License Intellectual Property Invest.UK, the British Government's worldwide inward investment Inward investment is the injection of money from an external source into a region, in order to purchase capital goods for a branch of a corporation to locate or develop its presence in the region. agency, announced today that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), agency of the U.S. Public Health Service since 1973, with headquarters in Atlanta; it was established in 1946 as the Communicable Disease Center. (CDC See Control Data, century date change and Back Orifice. CDC - Control Data Corporation ) has signed a formal memorandum of understanding A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is a legal document describing a bilateral or multilateral agreement between parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action and may not imply a legal commitment. with University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool is a university in the city of Liverpool, England. History The University was established in 1881 as University College Liverpool, admitting its first students in 1882. , one of Britain's leading research universities. The joint program will support collaborative research activities on the detection, prevention, and control of infectious and parasitic diseases and will help create an efficient mechanism for enabling new businesses and licensed IP for commercialization. Invest.UK in Atlanta has been instrumental in coordinating the relationship between the CDC and the University of Liverpool. This relationship is unprecedented, as it is the first for the CDC involving technology transfer with a foreign university. Benefits of the partnership include a new transatlantic link for shared technology and research, access for the CDC to the University of Liverpool's scientific research and teaching resources, and access for the University and its bioincubator - the Merseyside Biotechnology Incubator Organization - to work with the CDC's state-of-the-art technology and global reach. "Collaborations like this fit very well with the British Government's support of science and technology. We are excited to support a program that will benefit public health as well as have an economic impact in Liverpool and Atlanta," said Glen Whitley, Vice Consul vice consul n. Abbr. VC A consular officer who is subordinate to and a deputy of a consul or consul general. vice-con for Invest.UK. "It's our aim at Invest-UK to promote British excellence overseas and foster relationships between businesses and academic institutions from both sides of the pond. We are pleased to have found a fit with the CDC and University of Liverpool." "Infectious diseases continue to be one of the leading causes of death worldwide, especially in developing countries. For example, Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading infectious disease Infectious disease A pathological condition spread among biological species. Infectious diseases, although varied in their effects, are always associated with viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, multicellular parasites and aberrant proteins known as prions. killer of young adults worldwide, killing approximately 2 million people plus another 1 million people who are HIV HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), either of two closely related retroviruses that invade T-helper lymphocytes and are responsible for AIDS. There are two types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is responsible for the vast majority of AIDS in the United States. co-infected. Approximately 1/3 of the world's population is latently infected with the bacterium that causes TB. Add in infectious diseases like HIV, Influenza, Rotavirus rotavirus /ro·ta·vi·rus/ (ro´tah-vi?rus) any member of the genus Rotavirus. ro´taviral Rotavirus /Ro·ta·vi·rus/ (ro´tah-vi?rus , Malaria, West Nile and SARS and you begin to see the enormous worldwide toll of infectious diseases," said Thomas O'Toole, Deputy Director of CDC's Technology Transfer office. "One of our intentions with this agreement with the University of Liverpool is to help increase speed and efficiency in bringing potential vaccines and drugs for infectious and parasitic disease to the market place." "As one of the leading universities involved in the detection and prevention of infectious diseases, the University of Liverpool has very complementary programs to those at the CDC," said Alan Moody, Director of Enterprise and Entrepreneurship at the University of Liverpool. "We also have a unique infrastructure which can take research output from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), England, was founded on 12 November 1898, by a donation from Sir Alfred Lewis Jones, a Liverpool Shipowner. The donation of £350 created the first school of its kind. and our Faculties of Medicine, Science and Veterinary Science through to manufacture and to the market. Working jointly with the CDC, we are about to increase significantly the potential of both organizations to achieve beneficial impact in public health. It's a very important and exciting development." The memorandum of understanding will be signed on October 6 at the University of Liverpool on Florence Nightingale's desk. Nightingale was involved with the Royal Infirmary in Liverpool, now part of the University, and was influential in designing the buildings of the Infirmary to help stop the spread of infectious disease. Representatives from the CDC and University of Liverpool will be present. About the CDC CDC protects people's health and safety by preventing and controlling diseases and injuries; enhances health decisions by providing credible information on critical health issues; and promotes healthy living through strong partnerships with local, national, and international organizations. About The University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool is one of the UK's leading research institutions with a prodigious spread of expertise - from the humanities and social sciences to engineering, science, veterinary science and medicine. It attracts collaborative and contract research commissions from a wide range of national and international organisations - commissions valued at more than GBP GBP In currencies, this is the abbreviation for the British Pound. Notes: The currency market, also known as the Foreign Exchange market, is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average volume of over US $1 trillion. 80 million annually. About Invest.UK Invest.UK (www.investuk-usa.com) is the British Government's worldwide economic development agency, helping U.S. companies set up in the UK or expand from a British base quickly and smoothly. Based all around the world, Invest.UK's headquarters in the United States is in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. , with regional offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington DC. Invest.UK also works closely with the network of regional development agencies across the UK. |
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