The biomedical research community faces daunting challenges to better understand the nature of infectious diseases, which account for more than one-third of all deaths worldwide. Long standing pandemics caused by HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB kill more than 8 million people annually, and new disease threats like SARS and the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic emerge regularly. Complex interactions among humans, microbes, animals and the environment create niches for the emergence of new infectious agents or variant of old ones.

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, Clostridium difficile, drug resistant Klebsiella pneumonia, 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. It is why we must continue to expand the limits of our research horizon.

PHRI has made understanding and overcoming global infectious diseases its primary mission. For seven decades, PHRI has addressed the challenges posed by infectious diseases. Its 20 independent laboratories and 100+ 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 $14 million research budget derived from 38+ 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 research organizations in the world having attracted more than $70 million in research funds over the past decade. Furthermore, science innovation has led to major inventions such as molecular beacons and T-Cell specific TB antigens, and licensing of intellectual property has accounted for $30 million in revenue over the past 10 years.

PHRI was established in New York City seven decades ago as a freestanding research institute that emphasized the application of basic science knowledge to address major health issues. In 2001, PHRI moved to the International Center for Public Health (ICPH), a specialized facility for infectious diseases research on the Newark campus of UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School (NJMS). In December 2006, PHRI was acquired by UMDNJ and formally established as a strategic research Center within NJMS; all PHRI faculty members hold academic appointments at UMDNJ.

PHRI is well positioned to enhance its research enterprise through strategic investments in infrastructure, core facilities, recruitment of new faculty and strengthening of domestic and global clinical research programs. To this end, PHRI has recently recruited four outstanding faculty members in the fields of fungal infections (Dr. Chaoyang Xue and Dr. Neeraj Chauhan) and HIV biology (Dr. Theresa Chang and Dr. Min Lu). The development of focused areas of excellence in fields such as TB, HIV, fungi and drug resistance has been an important and highly successful strategic direction for PHRI.

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.