Key points
- CDC's Advanced Molecular Detection (AMD) program is helping build and integrate pathogen genomics nationwide.
- The cumulative local investment to Georgia from FY2021-2023 is $56,776,175.
- Georgia serves the Southeast region as the AMD Training Lead.
- Georgia is the principal investigator for the Georgia Pathogen Genomics Center of Excellence.
- University of Georgia, Emory University, and J Michael Consulting have received research awards to advance pathogen genomics for public health.
Total investment: $56,776,175
- State and Local Investment: $42,875,150
- Research Awards: $6,901,025
- Centers of Excellence (FY22-23): $7,000,000
Funding to public health departments includes support from the American Rescue Plan of 2021 and AMD annual appropriations in FY2021-2023. The investment above also includes supplemental funding for facility construction and renovation needs.
Implementing AMD technology
The AMD program builds and integrates laboratory, bioinformatics, and epidemiology technologies across CDC and nationwide. Since 2014, AMD has received support from Congress—now a $40 million per year appropriation—to implement these technologies in public health programs. Through investments in AMD technologies, CDC is improving both public health outcomes and preparedness in dozens of areas including foodborne disease, influenza, antibiotic resistance, hepatitis, pneumonia, and meningitis.
With funding from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the AMD program developed a multi-year plan to its expand support to state, local, and territorial public health laboratories providing more staff and resources to collect and sequence SARS-CoV-2 specimens, identify and track variants, and share data for public health use.
Workforce development
Georgia is part of the Southeast region. In 2018, the Advanced Molecular Detection program established seven Workforce Development Regions across the country. Each region has an AMD training lead and a bioinformatics lead. This provides a network of customized AMD support which helps develop skills and provides training assistance to public health labs across the country.
Georgia's AMD Training Lead provides support to labs in the region on pathogen-specific training and cross-cutting AMD training to help staff develop the critical skills necessary to extract, analyze, and interpret sequencing data. From the region's training resources, Georgia receives lab support on data analysis and how to interface with IT departments.
US Pathogen Genomics Centers of Excellence (PGCoE) network
The US Pathogen Genomics Centers of Excellence (PGCoE) network will foster and improve innovation and technical capacity in the use of pathogen genomics, molecular epidemiology, and bioinformatics in the field of public health. The Georgia Pathogen Genomics Center of Excellence is led by the Georgia Department of Public Health in partnership with six academic institutions: University of Georgia, Georgia Tech Research Institute, Emory University, Auburn University, Georgia State University, and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
University and research partners in Georgia
These awards are intended to fill knowledge gaps and promote innovation in the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding awards are determined through a competitive selection process based on scientific needs and available funds.
Awards to university and research partners were funded through appropriations supporting the COVID-19 response.