Microbiology Services
The Division will include the laboratory groups from the Centre for Infections; Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response; the Regional Microbiology Network and their associated supports. The current remit of the Centre includes infectious disease surveillance, providing specialist and reference microbiology and microbial epidemiology, coordinating the investigation and cause of national and uncommon outbreaks, helping advise government on the risks posed by various infections and responding to international health alerts.
The Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response prepares for and coordinates responses to potential healthcare emergencies, including possible acts of deliberate release. In addition, both basic and applied research is undertaken into understanding infectious diseases and the Centre manufactures a number of healthcare products, including vaccines and therapeutics. Internationally recognised as a world leader in microbiology research and testing, HPA's Porton Down Centre (formerly the Centre for Applied Microbiology & Research, and prior to that the Ministry of Defence's Microbiological Research Establishment) works with foreign governments, international biotechnology and pharmaceutical corporations, and start-up and spin-out companies. The strategic goal of the Centre is "to build on and develop the intellectual assets of the organisation in partnership with industry." Areas of expertise include: bacterial vaccines, toxin therapeutics, Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and in-vivo testing of compounds, biodefence and biosafety testing, diagnostics, and the provision of cell cultures.
The current Regional Microbiology Network is composed of eight regional microbiology laboratories. In addition, 37 hospital microbiology laboratories participate as HPA collaborating laboratories. Together, these laboratories provide frontline diagnostic and public health microbiology services to NHS trusts and HPA health protection units.
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