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IN-TRAC

About IN-TRAC

The Interdisciplinary NexGen TB Research Advancement Center (IN-TRAC) at Texas Biomedical Research Institute aims to attract the next generation of diverse researchers to the tuberculosis (TB) research field, and develop them into independent researchers with multi-disciplinary skills and real-world experience of clinical TB. IN-TRAC aims to produce researchers that choose to work on some of the most challenging and relevant translational problems in the TB field, and that work across academic disciplines and within a framework of highly collaborative research. IN-TRAC’s success will be aided by the mission of Texas Biomed as a global leader in combatting infectious disease threats.

Why is IN-TRAC needed?

Tuberculosis (TB) remains an enduring scourge of our time. Given the factors that support the ongoing transmission of this highly successful human pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) (poverty, malnutrition, aging, co-morbidities, drug resistance, etc.) and the fact that the majority of infected individuals are unknowing and thus serve as a potent reservoir, we can anticipate continued suffering and death worldwide due to this pathogen for the foreseeable future.

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More Information

For more information about this program, please email Kim Olsen

Funding Acknowledgment

Please include the following language on any publications related to IN-TRAC

‘Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number P30AI168439. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health’

  • IN-TRAC Cores

    Administrative Core

    The Administrative Core is responsible for administrative and scientific leadership for IN-TRAC and is responsible for coordinating all communication between IN-TRAC Cores, researchers and NIH/NIAID Program staff; oversight of all IN-TRAC activities; and providing an organizational and administrative structure to optimize opportunities to promote multidisciplinary collaborations and interactions between the Cores and among a diverse cohort of IN-TRAC trainees.

    The Admin Core is run by Dr. Larry Schlesinger and Kim Olsen

    Development Core

    The Development Core will establish a culture of continuous education and development for IN-TRAC participants that are prospective or established TB researchers. This includes career development training in lab management, grant writing and community engagement, and tailoring the research and clinical experiences to develop TB researchers that are adaptable to the changing landscape of future research and clinical needs. IN-TRAC participants will work within a values-driven, research intensive institute and carefully selected unique, established field sites. The Development Core will award pilot grants to IN-TRAC participants to support multidisciplinary collaborative research, or preliminary and feasibility data for federal and non-federal grant submissions or project development.

    The Development Core is run by Drs. Riti Sharan and Crystal Bolden-Rush

    Biocontainment Core

    IN-TRAC participants will learn the basics in biosafety as well as how to work effectively and proficiently in a biocontainment environment. They will be exposed to a comprehensive array of modern biotechnologies. The training plan is crafted to create a personalized training experience for the needs of the new TB investigators, including risk assessment of their proposed studies, and training on proper biosafety & biocontainment guidelines to conduct their studies. The Core will also provide training in: i) Research Risk Assessment; ii) Developing Institutional Biosafety Committee protocols; iii) Developing Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee protocols from the perspective of Biosafety; iv) How to obtain CDC/USDA permits and MTAs to obtain TB materials from national or international collaborators; v) How to order TB research materials from different biorepositories (e.g. BEI Resources); and vi) How to ship biocontainment materials to collaborators.

    The Biocontainment Core is run by Drs. Jordi Torrelles and Anthony Wang

    Animal Model Core

    The Animal Model Core will establish a training program to introduce all IN-TRAC participants to the TB field using a variety of animal models that can translate in silico and in vitro findings into potential application to humans. Texas Biomed has specific strengths in rodent and nonhuman primate (NHP) models of TB, HIV, Ebola, Pertussis, Hepatitis viruses, and Zika among others. Texas Biomed hosts the Southwest National Primate Research Center (SNPRC) and has developed large NHP programs that incorporate aerobiology, molecular biology and a variety of imaging platforms within the Animal Biosafety Level 3 (ABSL3). These will be the foundation of the Animal Model Core.

    The Animal Model Core is run by Drs. Smriti Mehra and Shannan Hall-Ursone and Victoria “Tori” Baxter.

    Research Imaging Core

    Providing theoretical and hands-on training from single cell imaging (confocal microscopy, cytometry, live cell imaging, single cell RNAseq) through to whole body imaging in mice (IVIS) and Non-human primates (NHP) (PET/CT) within large, fully outfitted BSL3/ABSL3 facilities.

    The Research Imaging Core is run by Drs. Deepak Kaushal and Amber Mallory

    Clinical Research & Patient Care Core

    There is an urgent need for the next generation of TB researchers to understand patient care and clinical research aspects of TB, as a foundation for their future leadership in developing improved TB diagnostics, treatments and vaccines. The purpose of this Clinical Research & Patient Care (CRPC) Core is to provide prospective or established TB researchers (IN-TRAC participants) with personalized, hands-on clinical TB research and patient care training. Our TB clinical research training site will be led by Dr. Restrepo, who’s laboratory is located on the Texas side of the US-Mexico border. Our TB clinical care training site will be led by Drs. Armitige and Seaworth.

    The Clinical Research & Patient Care Core is run by Drs. Blanca Restrepo and Lisa Armitige

  • IN-TRAC Calendar
  • IN-TRAC Externship Faculty

    IN-TRAC Externship Faculty