Internationally renowned scientists in the National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases implement George Mason University's long-term commitment to biodefense and infectious diseases research by responding to US Department of Homeland Security, US Department of Energy, and military initiatives to protect citizens nationwide.

Research efforts focus on:

• testing and evaluating new vaccines and therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of highly infectious pathogens;
• creating pre-symptomatic diagnostic technologies for diseases that are potential bioterror threats, such as anthrax, tularemia, and plague, as well as emerging infectious diseases, such as SARS, West Nile virus, and influenza; and
• developing technologies to detect and identify biological threat agents in environmental samples.