The contract recognizes deCODE's global leadership in the discovery of the genetic basis of disease risk and drug response. deCODE will conduct genome- wide scans in Iceland to search for key genes involved in susceptibility to tuberculosis; adverse reaction to smallpox vaccination; and susceptibility to influenza and certain bacterial infections, such as those that cause pneumonia and meningitis. The identification of genes involved in susceptibility to infectious diseases promises to provide a foothold in the biology of these conditions and a starting point for developing better drugs to treat them and vaccines to prevent them. C. Rick Lyons, M.D., Ph.D. of the UNM Health Sciences Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a renowned expert in the study of common pathogens and microbial virulence, will lead the functional work on targets identified by deCODE. The NCGR, a research institute based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and headed by Dr. Stephen Kingsmore, will design and maintain an Immune Response Database (IRDB), an internet-based resource that will enable investigators to query and visualize the results of this project in the context of existing data on the genetics of immune response. "We are excited by this project and by the opportunity to bring together our expertise and capabilities with those of two leading New Mexico research organizations," said Kari Stefansson, CEO of deCODE. "I believe this project reflects the commitment of the NIAID to seek out the best science and apply it to problems that are critical to human health. The international character of this collaboration is also appropriate to the goal -- to utilize human genetics to improve our ability to prevent and treat serious challenges to public health around the globe." "This contract is an endorsement of the world-class disease research at UNM Health Sciences Center," said Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico. "My administration is working to leverage the outstanding R&D in New Mexico to develop new companies and new jobs. We look forward to working in partnership with deCODE, the National Center for Genome Resources and the National Institutes of Health to develop new drugs to battle infectious diseases and, at the same time, create good jobs here in New Mexico." This project is funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract number HHSN266200400064C.