Emerging or re-emerging infectious diseases have threatened humans for decades. It is crucial to identify the pathogen involved rapidly and accurately in an outbreak for the control, prevention and treatment of emerging infectious disease. The goals of ˇ§Research Center for Emerging Viral Infectionsˇ¨ (RCEVI) at Chang Gung University is to solidify and promote our knowledge and technology for new viruses identification, and also to provide the materials derived from a new virus for further investigations. These include pathogenesis study, developments of vaccines and antivirals, viral evolutionary analysis and disease transmission modeling. Since 1998, experiences in laboratory diagnosis of enterovirus 71 (EV71), SARS coronavirus, and new influenza A viruses have successfully equipped our laboratory members the capabilities for virus identifications. The research members in our center include clinical physicians, virologists, biotechnologists, cell and molecular biologists, and computer scientists. Through the interaction and collaboration of scientists from different expertise, we are determined to fulfill a number of missions as the followings:
n To identify the viral agents for emerging infectious diseases
n To conduct studies in multidisciplinary research fields on factors and dynamics of the emergence of new virus
n To bridge basic and clinical sciences
n To develop antiviral agents and vaccines
n To solidify international collaborations