International Team Proposes National Tuberculosis Archive: The First Comprehensive and Integrated Biological and Informatic Resource for a World-Wide Infectious Disease.SANTA FE, N.M. -- Writing in the journal Science, an international team of nine leading health and research organizations today proposed the establishment of the nation's first integrated clinical and biological information resource for tuberculosis (TB). TB infects one third of the world's population, with 8.8 million new cases and 1.7 million deaths in 2003. TB is the leading cause of death among AIDS patients. Further, new strains of TB are emerging that are resistant to conventional antibiotic therapies. The proposed National TB Archive would be the first integrated, Web accessible, comprehensive, biological and clinical information resource for a major 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. . In coordination with the universal genotyping program of Centers for Disease Control, the archive would contain a sample from every verified case of TB in the United States, together with comprehensive clinical, epidemiological, and genomic information. At present, these samples and information are dispersed among independent organizations, geographic locations and databases. This lack of integration greatly hampers rapid response to outbreaks and analysis of the spread of drug-resistant TB. Dr. Damian Gessler, lead author of the report, and program leader at the National Center for Genome Resources (NCGR NCGR National Center for Genome Resources NCGR National Council for Geocosmic Research NCGR National Clonal Germplasm Repository NCGR National Clonal Germplasm Repositories (US) ), Santa Fe, N.M., stated, "The establishment of the archive will accelerate advances in understanding critical components of TB including its pathogenicity, virulence, transmissibility trans·mis·si·ble adj. That can be transmitted: transmissible signals. trans·mis , drug resistance, epidemiology, evolution, and genetic variability. The archive will enable evidence-based decision making for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of TB." This archive and integrated database will provide early identification of multidrug-resistant strains and enable policy makers to make rapid decisions about potential epidemics on a national scale. The approach is emphasized as a model of how to address the growing need to accelerate the integration of science, medicine and public heath. Authors of the report are: Damian Gessler, Ph.D., NCGR, Santa Fe, N.M. Christopher Dye, Ph.D., World Health Organization, Geneva 27, Switzerland Paul Farmer, M.D., Ph.D., Harvard Medical School, Boston Megan Murray, M.D., MPH, DPH, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston Thomas Navin, Ph.D., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta Randall Reves, M.D., M.Sc., Denver Health and Hospital Authority, Denver Thomas Shinnick, Ph.D., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta Gary Simpson, M.D., Ph.D., MPH, New Mexico Department of Health, Santa Fe, N.M. Peter M. Small, M.D., The Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle Terry Yates, Ph.D., University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, N.M. About the National Center for Genome Resources (NCGR) NCGR is a non-profit research institute dedicated to improving human health and nutrition through collaborative research at the intersection of bioscience, computing and mathematics. www.ncgr.org About 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 ) Part of the Department of Health and Human Services Noun 1. Department of Health and Human Services - the United States federal department that administers all federal programs dealing with health and welfare; created in 1979 Health and Human Services, HHS , the CDC's mission is to promote health and quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, injury and disability. The CDC is the principal U.S. government agency for protecting the health and safety of all Americans and for providing essential human services. www.cdc.gov About Denver Health and Hospital Authority (DHHA DHHA Denver Health and Hospital Authority ) DHHA is an integrated, efficient, high-quality health care system whose mission is to provide access to the highest quality health care; provide life-saving emergency medicine and trauma services; fulfill public health functions; provide health education for patients; participate in the education of the next generation of health care professionals; and engage in research. www.dhha.org About Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is one of the graduate schools of Harvard University. It is a prestigious American medical school located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. (HMS HMS abbr. Her (or His) Majesty's Ship HMS (Brit) abbr (= His (or Her) Majesty's Ship) → Namensteil von Schiffen der Kriegsmarine ) The mission of HMS is to create and nurture a community of the best people committed to leadership in alleviating human suffering caused by disease. www.hms.harvard.edu About Harvard School of Public Health The Harvard School of Public Health is (colloquially, HSPH) is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Longwood Area of the Boston, Massachusetts neighborhood of Mission Hill, next to Harvard Medical School and Cambridge, Massachusetts, (HSPH HSPH Harvard School of Public Health ) The mission of HSPH is to advance the public's health through learning, discovery and communication. The objectives of HSPH are to provide the highest level of public health education; to foster new discoveries leading to improved health; and to strengthen health capacities for communities to inform policy debate, disseminate information and increase awareness of public health. www.hsph.harvard.edu About The Institute for Systems Biology The Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) is a non-profit research institution, located in Seattle, Washington, United States. Leroy Hood co-founded the Institute with Alan Aderem and Ruedi Aebersold in 2000. (ISB) ISB brings together a multidisciplinary group of scholars and scientists in an interactive and collaborative environment, to undertake the new research model called systems biology. www.systemsbiology.org About New Mexico Department of Health (NMDH) The mission of NMDH is to promote health and sound health policy, prevent disease and disability, improve health services systems, and assure that public health functions and safety net services are available to New Mexicans. www.health.state.nm.us About University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM) is a public university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was founded in 1889. It also offers multiple bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and professional degree programs in all areas of the arts, sciences, and engineering. (UNM UNM University of New Mexico UNM UnumProvident Corporation UNM Under New Management UNM United Nations Medal UNM User Name Mapping ) UNM's vision is to offer New Mexicans access to a comprehensive array of high-quality educational, research and service programs; to serve as a significant knowledge resource; and to foster programs of international prominence that will place UNM among America's most distinguished public research universities. www.unm.edu About World Health Organization (WHO) The WHO is the United Nations' specialized agency for health. WHO's objective is the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. www.who.int |
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