Established in Fall 2000, our overall mission complements Federal Homeland Defense initiatives by coordinating multidisciplinary biodefense research and translating this research from the bench to the field.

The USF Center for Biological Defense is an affiliate member of the Southeast Regional Center of Excellence for Emerging Infectious and Biodefense (SERCEB), one of eight National Centers of Excellence established by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in 2003. As a part of this collaborative initiative, the CBD will work with partner institutions to evaluate the next generation of vaccines, drugs, and diagnostic tests for defense against select agents that could be used in bioterrorist attacks, as well as other emerging infectious diseases.

The CBD belongs to the National Center for Countermeasures to Biological and Chemical Threats. NCCBCT partner institutions include the University of Texas, Austin and Texas Tech University in Lubbock. The CBD is also part of "Project Zebra", a consortium to develop a planned comprehensive surveillance network to detect biothreats and emerging infectious diseases for homeland security and public health. Other members of this consortium include the Arizona Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, Ingenuity Systems, SRI International and the Translational Genomics Research Institute. The CBD will provide a "test bed" to evaluate and validate the diagnostic platform developed through the efforts of other Consortium members.

The CBD, through its partnership with the FDOH, has formed a collaborative association with the Bioterrorism Rapid Response and Advanced Technology Laboratory at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This association allows CBD to utilize Laboratory Response Network (LRN) reagents for the evaluation of sample preparation procedures developed at CBD. These procedures are reported to CDC for consideration as part of the LRN protocols.

The objectives of the Center include:

• To develop innovative rapid clinical and environmental screening tests to allow early detection and recognition of biological agents suggestive of a BT attack.
• To provide effective and efficient dual-use surveillance of possible BT agents in non-traditional settings.
• To provide collaborative opportunities and increased outreach with other Florida universities, and with local, state and federal agencies responsible for domestic security.
• To educate and train health professionals, emergency personnel, and government agencies in preparation for, detection of, and response to, a BT attack.

The USF-based Center, co-located with the Florida Department of Health Tampa Branch Laboratory and encompassing a network of universities within the state of Florida, is the first Center of its kind to be established in Florida and among the first established nationally.