The Tropical and Emerging Infectious Diseases (TEID) unit provide access to instrumentation and essential services required to support research in tropical and emerging infectious diseases disproportionally affecting Puerto Rico and the world. These facilities and services build upon resources developed with NIH-RCMI support since 2000. The TEID offers scientific and infrastructural support with state-of-the-art facilities to conduct investigations in infectious diseases and other research areas.

The TEID infrastructure encompasses a wet laboratory facility with a biosafety level 2 (BSL-2) research space containing a class II biosafety cabinet, tissue culture capability and state-of-the-art equipment used in cellular, molecular and microbiological research to work with infectious agents. Specialized services, training, and consultations on experimental design and instrument capabilities are provided to the TEID users. Sophisticated equipment is operated by dedicated and appropriately trained staff. A complete list of Specialized Instrumentation available is provided.

Goals and Objectives:

The main goal of the TEID unit is to provide access to key resources and services to support and leverage research projects on Tropical and Emerging Infectious Diseases. Specialized TEID resources are also available for projects in other research areas such as cancer, neurological studies, Huntington disease, cardiovascular studies, diabetes, mitochondria, oxidative stress, substance abuse and addictions, among others.

The objectives of the TEID are:

• Provide training, technical expertise, and support to scientists working in the TEID core facility.
• Offer access to instrumentation facilities and key services for research on infectious diseases and other research areas.
• Coordinate the Infectious Diseases seminar series with world-known international researchers and workshops/symposiums to provide training, promote collaborations, and strengthen interactions between scientists.
• Enhance research capabilities and technological advances to foster research projects and collaborations.
• Promote the integration of services and support with the other CCRHD-RCMI units (IIS, TPC, GR, NBS).
• Participate in community engagement activities to disseminate scientific findings, raise awareness, promote science, and create a scientific network.