Posted on January 9, 2001 at 9:59 a.m.

BIRMINGHAM, AL — The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and St. Louis University in Missouri have received a $3.6 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease to help strengthen the nation’s defenses against bioterrorist attacks involving poxviruses, such as smallpox.

“The funding will be used to create a computer-based resource center of genetic information about poxviruses,” says Elliot Lefkowitz, Ph.D., research associate professor of microbiology at UAB. “We will analyze the genetic sequences of smallpox and other poxviruses and make them available to researchers. The information will be used to develop new methods of detecting and diagnosing poxvirus infections and aid in the development of new treatments and vaccines.”

Smallpox is a highly contagious, potentially fatal disease characterized by pus-filled lesions that cover the body. “There is a history of smallpox being developed for use as a biological weapon,” says Lefkowitz. “Although large-scale stocks have been destroyed, the potential remains for unknown stocks to be used. It is easy to grow and easy to store. It wouldn’t take a tremendous amount of resources to use it as a weapon.”

There is no cure for smallpox, and the current vaccine carries a high rate of side effects. “Since eradication of the disease in 1977, the supply of the vaccine has dwindled,” says Lefkowitz. “Even a single incident of smallpox today would represent a significant public health event.”

Lefkowitz and Mark Buller, Ph.D., with the department of molecular microbiology and immunology at St. Louis University, serve as lead investigators for the project. Collaborators include the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases in Frederick, Md.; the American Type Culture Collection in Manassas,Va.; the University of Victoria in Canada; and the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.