David S. Perlin, Ph.D.
Director
Public Health Research Institute Center
UMDNJ - New Jersey Medical School

The biomedical research community faces formidable challenges to better understand the nature of infectious diseases, which claim more than one-third of all deaths worldwide. Epidemics ravage whole populations with diseases like AIDS, malaria and TB killing more than 8 million people each year. Sub-Saharan Africa has more than 22 million people infected with HIV, and countries like India, Russia and China are coping with increasing numbers of infections. Complex interactions among humans, microbes and the environment create new problems, which cannot be solved simply. The impact of infectious diseases is not limited to the developing world. Sexually transmitted diseases due to chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis are a major public health challenge in the United States with 19 million new infections occurring each year, almost half of them among young people. Each year 36,000 Americans die from seasonal influenza and more than 100,000 people die from hospital-acquired infections that are largely preventable. Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases such as West Nile, measles, MRSA, MDR/XDR-TB and other drug resistant infections, as well as unknown threats from agents of bioterrorism and pandemic viruses are sobering reminders of our vulnerability, and why we must continue to expand the limits of our research horizon.

For seven decades, PHRI has addressed the challenges posed by infectious diseases. Its 18 independent laboratories and 85+ staff scientists pursue a range of basic science and translational programs on bacteria, fungi and viruses, including studies of vaccine and therapeutic development, molecular and sera diagnostics, immunology, microbial genomics, molecular epidemiology, drug resistance, enzymology, genetic recombination and cell competence. PHRI maintains a $13 million research budget derived from 32+ NIH grants and subcontracts and 25 research contracts, which includes support from the Gates and other foundations, pharma and biotech. PHRI is one of the leading tuberculosis and opportunistic infections research organizations in the world. The TB program has raised more than $65 million in research funds over the past decade. In addition, licensing of intellectual property has accounted for $20 million in revenue over the past 10 years.

In 2002, PHRI moved from New York City to the International Center for Public Health (ICPH), an infectious diseases research center on the Newark campus of UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School (NJMS). In December 2006, UMDNJ acquired PHRI, establishing it as a Center within NJMS. PHRI is now firmly rooted for the future, and we are poised to expand our research enterprise through strategic investments in infrastructure, recruitment of young faculty and strengthening of domestic and global clinical research programs.

The future of biomedical research is clouded by uncertainties in funding from the federal government. Yet, we are optimistic that there will always be support for innovative science that has the potential to improve human health. It is this spirit of innovation that has sustained research excellence at PHRI for many decades and will propel us into the future as a major force in infectious diseases research.