The National Screening Laboratory for the Regional Centers of Excellence in Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases (NSRB) was established by the RCE program to provide access to a chemical screening laboratory, equipment and chemical libraries for U.S. investigators conducting research on pathogens of biodefense and emerging infectious disease interest. The laboratory is located at Harvard Medical School campus and overseen by an Advisory Committee composed of representatives from each of the 10 RCEs.

The NSRB provides access to almost 200,000 small molecules, advanced high-throughput technology, technical expertise, informatics, and medicinal chemistry. A full-time staff is available to assist to investigators at all stages of a screen, from assay design through medicinal chemistry, but screeners have primary responsibility for developing and running their screens. There are no charges for using the NSRB’s resources and staff time, and the NSRB undertakes to supply screeners with all generic consumables and reagents that are required to screen up to 50,000 compound wells in duplicate.

Investigators who would like to conduct a screen at the NSRB must submit a short (2-3 pages) application for review by the Advisory Committee. NSRB staff frequently assist investigators with assay design and optimization in preparation for filing an application. The review process is confidential and typically completed within 2 weeks. Screens may begin as soon as approval is granted.

For additional information, please visit the NSRB Website (http://nsrb.med.harvard.edu/) or contact Dr. Su Chiang (su_chiang@hms.harvard.edu).