Dr. Tara O'Toole
DHS Science and Technology Directorate

The Honorable Rand Beers
Acting Secretary of Homeland Security
Washington, D.C. 20528
Tara J Otoole 60-64 years old
Phone number 
410-757-6332
Address 
1833 Baltimore Annapolis BlvdAnnapolis, MD 21409-6202

Brigadier General Larry Wyche
Pine Bluff Arsenal
Dugway Proving Ground
Colonel Ronald F. Fizer
Ronald F Fizer 
Address 
5293 Armitage Dr
Dugway, UT 84022-1052

Rodriguez, Luis L
Research Leader
luis.rodriguez@ars.usda.gov 
(631) 323-3200
PLUM ISLAND ANIMAL DISEASE CENTER
40550 Route 25
Orient Point NY 11944

                     
Research Experiences
Zaheer Ahmed
Zaheer Ahmed emigrated from Pakistan to the U.S. where he now studies foot-and-mouth disease, which threatens populations of cloven-hoofed animals like cattle and pigs. At the Plum Island Animal Disease Research Center, Ahmed’s research is helping develop vaccines to limit or stop transmission during outbreaks.
Frank Zappulla
Taking part in the Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC) Research Participation Program, Frank Zappulla is working to improve vaccinations for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) by studying cattle that respond abnormally to current FMD vaccines. He says he’s collected a lot of “really interesting” data related to bovine gene expression. Zappulla’s fellowship is funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology (DHS S&T) Directorate.
Ignacio Fernandez-Sainz
Ignacio Fernandez-Sainz, postdoctoral student in veterinary medicine and microbiology, studied classical swine fever during his time at the Department of Homeland Security’s Plum Island Animal Disease Center.
Sabena Uddowla
Postdoctoral researcher Sabena Uddowla is helping to develop a “marker” vaccine to control the Foot-and-Mouth disease virus in her role as a visiting scientist at Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC) off the coast of Long Island, N.Y. Photo courtesy of Kathleen Apicelli and Ethan Macnow, PIADC.
Lindsay Gabbert
Lindsay Gabbert performs research at the Plum Island Animal Disease Center, where she is helping to improve the vaccination for foot-and-mouth disease. Prior to Plum Island, she completed a fellowship at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where she concentrated on human diseases. 
Camila Dias Colberg
Camila Dias Colberg is supporting research at the Plum Island Animal Disease Center to find a more effective treatment for foot-and-mouth disease. A Brazilian veterinarian, she hopes one day to be a licensed veterinarian in the United States.
Krystina Addorisio
Forensic scientist Krystina Addorisio has spent the last three years researching a vaccine for animal diseases such as foot-and-mouth—a contagious disease that affects cows, pigs and sheep—at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Plum Island Animal Disease Center. 
Melia Pisano
Melia Pisano gained invaluable experience while contributing to crucial research efforts hoping to curtail the Foot-and-Mouth disease virus during her four-year fellowship at Plum Island Animal Disease Center in New York (PIADC). Photo courtesy of Kathleen Apicelli and Ethan Macnow, PIADC.
Fayna Diaz-San Segundo
Fayna Diaz-San Segundo brings a love of melody and rhythm to her research at Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC) off Long Island, N.Y., as she seeks new ways to curtail the highly contagious Foot-and-Mouth disease in livestock. Photo courtesy of Kathleen Apicelli and Ethan Macnow, PIADC.
For questions or more information, contact piadc@orau.org
 
Mission
Senior scientific staff
ARS Research Staff
•	Dr. Jonathan Arzt, DVM, MPVM, DACVP, pathology
•	Dr. Manuel V. Borca, DVM, Ph.D., veterinary microbiology
•	Dr. Teresa B. De Los Santos, Ph.D., molecular biology
•	Dr. William T. Golde, Ph.D., immunology
•	Dr. Marvin J. Grubman, Ph.D., biochemistry
•	Dr. Elizabeth Rieder, Ph.D., molecular biology
•	Dr. Luis L. Rodriguez, DVM, Ph.D., animal virology (Research Leader)
•	Dr. James J. Zhu, Ph.D., bioinformatics
Facilities
The Center has research facilities in multiple BSL-3 laboratories, including shared equipment with confocal and electron microscopes, nucleic acid sequencing, real-time PCR and wide-ranging laboratory support facilities. 
The Center also has extensive animal facilities for both large and small animals. In addition, there is a devoted DHS BSL-2 laboratory for vaccine development and small-scale production and a DHS BSL-3 laboratory for bioforensics.
Current Research
ARS Research 
Research is focused on basic and applied problems in FMD, VSV and CSF, including efforts at developing faster-acting and more broadly cross-reactive vaccines and antivirals. This work includes understanding immunity to infection, virus evolution and pathogenesis to prevent, control and recover from a disease outbreak if such were to occur in North America. 
Vaccine research is oriented toward development of vaccines that can be produced safely in the U.S. under existing federal laws, as well as companion diagnostic techniques that can differentiate between vaccinated and infected animals, can identify carrier animals, and can be used safely on farms. The recent focus of research is on countermeasure development to produce fast-acting, safe vaccines and biotherapeutics to limit or stop transmission during outbreaks. The host-pathogen interaction is being studied to gain an understanding of disease mechanisms, transmission and persistence. 
Ongoing research includes continued development of improved vaccine platforms and delivery systems that can provide a shorter response time, longer duration of immunity and provide capsid stability. Broader serotype- and subtype-specific vaccine protection is being developed to allow for cross-protection, as well as attenuated marker vaccines that allow for differentiation between vaccinated and infected animals. 
Research is organized in four USDA, ARS-funded research projects (CRIS projects). Activities in all projects revolve around four main areas:
•	Genomics, epidemiology and rapid diagnosis pathogenesis
•	Molecular mechanisms of viral replication 
•	Virus-host interaction and immune response
•	Vaccine and antiviral development
In addition, ARS partners with academia, private industry and research facilities from around the world to collaborate on specific research projects that complement and augment the ARS mission.
Current DHS Programs
The vaccine and biological countermeasure development program currently encompasses several projects that will deliver novel, next generation FMD vaccines and biotherapeutics to the USDA APHIS National Veterinary Stockpile using collaborative development programs with biotechnology and biological-focused private sector companies.
Activities are conducted under GLP/GCP guidelines in close partnership with ARS PIADC scientists and external collaborators within academia and the private sector. The main thrust of the FMD countermeasure program is to use cutting edge vaccine and biotherapeutic delivery platforms and systems to develop next-generation FMD countermeasures that will be available to USDA APHIS as tools for use in emergency response programs. Both early and full development activities aligned with USDA CVB regulatory requirements are used to develop and deliver a pipeline of FMD vaccines and biotherapeutics.