Global health R&D at work in Arkansas
Scientists at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) have been awarded federal funding from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support research on infectious diseases. This funding has enabled UAMS to establish the Center for Microbial Pathogenesis and Host Inflammatory Responses, which focuses on pathogens—bacteria, viruses, and microorganisms—and the disease responses they cause in humans. The center has advanced research on malaria, pneumonic plague, leishmaniasis—a parasitic disease that causes disfiguring skin lesions—and other deadly diseases. With NIH support, UAMS is also building a Pandemic Response and Public Health Laboratory equipped with Biosafety Level-3 labs to enable research on highly infectious diseases with pandemic potential. By trying to understand how pathogens cause disease in humans, the scientists hope to develop new treatments and technologies. One other new idea being developed at UAMS, in collaboration with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, is a non-invasive malaria detection portable laser device for spotting parasite-infected cells traveling through blood vessels.