The Pacific Southwest Regional Center of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases (PSW RCE) was funded in May, 2005 by the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The PSW RCE serves Region IX and is one of ten nationally funded Centers which support the NIAID Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research Agenda.

The overall goals for the PSW RCE are:
– To produce outstanding multi-disciplinary and collaborative research on selected infectious diseases.
– To disseminate research findings and reagents within the RCE network and to local, state, and federal agencies.
– To timely translate findings into products and applications to detect, monitor, prevent, and treat these infections.
– To provide opportunities for new investigators to enter the field and develop innovative training programs to enhance biodefense readiness.
– To respond to bioterrorism threats and emerging infectious disease emergencies by providing local, state, and federal agencies with on-call preparedness.

The Center will achieve these goals through a coordinated effort of research teams located at several public and private institutions across the Region, which encompasses the states of California, Arizona, Nevada and Hawaii.

This organization is recognized as one of the Regional Centers of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases (RCEs) by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).