BV-BRC: A powerful bioinformatics hub for deadly bacteria and viruses
Official title: The Bacterial and Viral Bioinformatics Resource Center (BV-BRC)
Funded at University of Chicago · NIH-11581135 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A national resource is being expanded to give researchers easy access to expert biology tools and data to understand and fight infectious diseases.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Chicago NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project start | July 18, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $499,998 |
| NIH project number | 3U24AI183849-03S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11581135 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Researchers and clinicians working on infectious diseases who may utilize BV-BRC resources for diagnostics, therapeutics, or surveillance.
✕Less likely to help
Direct patient benefit may be limited to those not involved in or impacted by infectious disease research or public health responses.
What this research studies
This project maintains and improves BV-BRC, a comprehensive bioinformatics platform that covers bacteria, archaea, and viruses. It provides up-to-date tools, knowledgebases, and expertise to help researchers study pathogenesis and develop diagnostics and therapies. The center supports metagenomics analyses and a rapid response framework to address future infectious threats. By making resources broadly accessible, it aims to accelerate discoveries that can translated into public health actions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Patients could benefit from faster development of diagnostics and treatments for infectious diseases through improved research tools.
How similar studies have gone: Similar bioinformatics centers have accelerated pathogen research and tool development, though BV-BRC’s scope is broad across bacteria, archaea, viruses, and metagenomics.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Chicago
Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Stevens, Rick L. — University of Chicago
- Study coordinator: Stevens, Rick L.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.