Center for Pathogen Research (CPR)

The mission of the University of Maryland School of Medicine Center for Pathogen Research (CPR) is to transform our understanding of how pathogens cause disease and translate this knowledge into effective diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics that address current and emerging infectious threats.

The CPR will be a premier research center in The University of Maryland School of Medicine, dedicated to unraveling the molecular, cellular, and immunological mechanisms through which pathogens cause disease. The Center will integrate cutting-edge basic science research with translational efforts to identify, validate, and develop novel therapeutics for infectious diseases. The Center will also serve as a collaborative link for scientists, clinicians, and biotech partners, bridging discovery and application.

Strategic Objectives

1. Excellence in Discovery Science: Elucidate the molecular and cellular interactions between pathogens and their hosts. Initial focus on viral pathogenesis and how virus:host interactions impact disease state.

An immediate goal is to connect members of the center to establish scientific connections and offer pilot grant funding for early-stage projects.

2. Training and Education: Develop the next generation of scientists. The center will have a graduate training component with a focus on advising and career development.  This will include travel awards for presenting at conferences as well networking opportunities for trainees to interact with industry leaders in the area.

An immediate goal is to secure funding of a NIH T32 training grant focused on Viral Pathogenesis.

3. Translational Research Pipeline: Foster rapid translation of discoveries into clinical candidates. The center will develop therapeutics and forward them to clinical trial testing.  We will identify therapeutic candidates and perform pre-IND enabling studies to enable future industry partnerships.

An immediate goal is to identify therapeutic candidates currently under development in the center and provide the ability for rapid forward testing.

4.  Collaboration and Commercialization: Therapeutics developed in the center will be used to connect labs to industry partners for commercialization. This will include both establishing companies from inside UMB as well as partnerships with industry for further product development. 

An immediate goal is to establish networks of industry partners at early stages of product development such that they can guide and advise on IND enabling studies for rapid translation.

We envision a collaborative and interactive Center that will perform innovative and cutting-edge research to provide key knowledge for development of therapeutics for pathogens with pandemic potential. The goal is to have a unique set of core groups will assemble under a single umbrella to provide exceptional coordination to respond to current and future pandemic threats.