Scientists here recently received training and developed assays clearing the way for the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology to become an H1N1 testing site. Today our institute is a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved DOD testing site for human swine influenza, said Dr. Mina Izadjoo, chief of the Division of Wound Biology and Translational Research. This will provide an additional site for DOD that can analyze service members' samples. This is all about our Institute supporting readiness for swine flu outbreaks. Initially, AFIP became involved in H1N1 flu research after receiving a number of requests for testing from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, said Izadjoo. They had a dramatic increase in the number of tests that they had to do and asked us to help and started sending us suspected cases to see if we could detect swine influenza. We have obtained all the necessary instrumentation to officially report our diagnostic results. We also have the capability in our division for developing and testing vaccines and performing drug screening.
