The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has awarded a seven year contract to the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) for the establishment of the Malaria Research and Reference Reagent Resource (MR4) Center. The center will acquire and distribute, to qualified investigators throughout the world, malaria research reagents, materials and protocols which satisfy quality assurance standards. Details on available reagents and program operations can be found at the MR4 Website at www.malaria.mr4.org. There is no cost for these reagents except for the cost of shipping. The MR4 will continue to acquire and/or produce additional reagents for this collection based on input from a Scientific Advisory Committee, suggestions provided to either NIAID or MR4, and from other communications with the research community. In addition, MR4 will disseminate information about malaria reagents through print, electronic media, and attendance at major meetings. The repository will also sponsor workshops to facilitate the transfer of technology and scientific information to the malaria research community.
Establishment of the MR4 Center is one of the efforts that NIAID has undertaken in support of the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria following the 1997 International Conference on Malaria in Africa. The Institute sponsored an initial planning meeting in November, 1997, and supported an interim repository until the current contract was awarded. The types of reagents currently or soon to be available include both laboratory-produced reagents and field-derived materials: antibodies, recombinant malaria proteins and antigens, gene libraries, molecular probes and constructs, Plasmodium species, live vectors and clinical specimens. A list of available reagents can be found at the MR4 website listed above, or can be obtained in hard copy by directly contacting MR4 or NIAID at the email and surface mail addresses below. By request, MR4 will also mail a hard copy of its on-line newsletter, the Malaria Update, with reagent listings, for those without regular Internet access.
The Malaria Reagent Survey: The majority of reagents the MR4 already
has on hand have been generously contributed by your colleagues in the
malaria research community. As we continue to expand the MR4 inventory we
need to gauge the relative demand for specific reagents. Please indicate
which reagents you as a malaria investigator would like to have available
through the MR4 in each of the sections below. If the reagent you desire is
not listed, please describe it in the TEXT box at the end of each section.
If you are also interested in providing or "depositing" reagents to the
program, please contact the MR4 directly through its email address, malaria@atcc.org. Additional details can be found under "Depositor
Information" at the MR4 website.
Reagent Survey Form
Revised November 23, 1999
The Malaria Reagent survey is divided into the following sections:
- Parasite Reagents
- Parasite Clones and Isolates.
- Life Cycle Stages.
- Molecules.
- Host Cell Reagents
- Cell Reagents.
- Antibody Reagents.
- Vector Reagents
- Wild Caught Mosquito Specimens.
- Molecular Reagents.
For more information about submitting reagents to, and acquiring reagents from, the repository, contact
Martin John Rogers, Ph.D.,
Parasite Biology Program Officer,
Parasitology and International Programs Branch,
DMID,
NIAID,
6700-B Rockledge Drive - MSC 7630/Room 3211
Bethesda, MD 20892-7630;
tel: 301.402.8304;
fax: 301.402.0659;
e-mail: jrogers@niaid.nih.gov
