The HRF Hepatitis Research Institute
 
The Laboratory of Virology, presently located at the New York Blood Center, will re-locate to the Liberian Institute for Biomedical Research, where all of the past chimpanzee studies were carried  out. Almost all equipment and staff will be re-located there. This will then become one of the strongest research laboratories in West Africa.
 
The mission of HRI will include carrying out all laboratory aspects of HCV prophylactic and therapeutic immunization research, including determination of viral loads by quantitative real time PCR, assessment of cell mediated immunity (Elispot, blastogenesis, CTL assays etc), tests for virus neutralizing antibodies, immunofluorescence and histology studies, and clinical chemistry, and bacteriology related to chimpanzee health.
 
In addition this laboratory will carry out essential chimpanzee studies required for the development of prophylactic HCV vaccines, and immunotherapy of chronic HCV infections.