Events like the E. coli contamination at the 1998 Puyallup Fair and the outbreak of measles in Eastern Washington are fresh reminders that infectious diseases continue to be major causes of sickness and death. Globally, infectious diseases killed 20 million people in 1997. New infectious diseases are being discovered at an alarming rate. More than 30 new disease-causing microorganisms have been discovered in the last twenty years, and many have spread explosively. Many serious diseases, such as ulcers and arteriosclerosis have been recently attributed to bacteria. The AIDS virus has infected 35 million people worldwide, 12 million have already died. Hepatitis C virus, unheard of 10 years ago, now infects 170 million people worldwide, 4 million in the U.S. alone. Perhaps the most alarming development is that many bacteria and viruses are becoming drug resistant. Researchers have recently identified multiple drug resistant strains of tuberculosis, malaria, AIDS, and pneumonia. Keeping one step ahead of these killers is one of the greatest challenges facing medicine.

The coming revolution in fighting infectious disease

An entirely new paradigm for fighting infectious disease is emerging. It is based on a foundation of increasing sophistication in infectious disease medicine and of the unraveling of the genetic code of disease-causing microorganisms. The genetic code of these viruses and bacteria contains the information that tells them how to interact with their host and cause disease. If we can understand how this code works, then we may identify new ways to disrupt the disease process. The UW School of Medicine is already one of the top infectious diseases research centers in the world. It provides an incredibly fertile environment for development and exploration of new research technologies. UW researchers are also leaders in DNA sequencing research, which now makes it possible to determine the entire genetic code of disease-causing microorganisms. One team, for example, is working with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the PathoGenesis Corporation to sequence the genetic code of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a particularly aggressive bacterium that is a major source of life threatening respiratory infections.

The next level of the new paradigm involves new methods for analyzing biological systems and molecular structures within disease-causing microorganisms. DNA microarrays lead the way in this area. This new technology allows researchers to study how the entire genetic code of the invading microorganism interacts with the human cells it infects. A parallel revolution in combinatorial synthesis is permitting comprehensive, functional analysis of microorganism structures for the development of therapies. Rather than screening known chemical compounds with traditional trial and error methods, combinatorial synthesis allows researchers to screen literally millions of potentially useful compounds automatically. Indeed, these methods have allowed the pharmaceutical industry to screen more compounds in the last five years than had been screened in the previous 100 years. Combinatorial synthesis allows researchers to identify quickly and accurately the compounds that will best exploit new targets for therapies uncovered in the DNA sequencing and microarray work.

DNA microarrays and combinatorial synthesis create massive amounts of information. The new field of bioinformatics has developed to bring conceptual understanding to the vast amounts of data being generated. It brings together biologists and mathematicians to develop rigorous quantitative descriptions of biological systems. Working together, the insights afforded by these technologies will create powerful new ways to combat infectious diseases of all kinds.

The University of Washington is already at the forefront in infectious diseases and genomics, and is developing leadership in the new field of microarray technology. Our goal is now to catalyze these existing strengths by adding leadership in the cell and molecular biology of pathogen-host interactions, combinatorial synthesis and bioinformatics. Specifically, we seek leaders in understanding the fundamental mechanisms of viral or bacterial disease and host responses to these pathogens, combinatorial chemists who are expert in state-of-the-art methods for developing new peptides and small molecules, and exceptional mathematicians focused on the study of biology.

This initiative creates benefits in at least three areas. First, it should contribute directly to improvements in health care. Second, it will create immediate opportunities for major external funding at the University of Washington. Finally, it will not only be of interest to Washington’s biotechnology firms such as ICOS, PathoGenesis, and Immunex, but will also certainly lay the foundation for the creation of new companies. Rapid genetic analysis and combinatorial synthesis make it possible to identify potential new medications more rapidly and efficiently than in the past. This means that start-up biotechnology ventures can, for the first time, compete successfully with larger, more established firms. Moreover, new research will be combined with new training for individuals seeking to fill the highly skilled jobs being generated by Washington's rapidly growing biotechnology industry.

"The current biotech industry in the state of Washington would not exist without the University of Washington, its medical school and all the affiliated medical facilities. ICOS is an example of a biotech company which is here because the UW was here during the formation of the company." George Rathmann, CEO and Chairman of the Board, ICOS Corporation.