1. The Laboratory Response Network

2. LRN Mission What Is the LRN?
A diverse national laboratory network of local, state and federal public health, hospital-based, food testing, veterinary and environmental testing laboratories that provide laboratory diagnostics and the capacity to respond to biological and chemical terrorism and other public health emergencies.
LRN Mission
The LRN and its partners will maintain an integrated national and international network of laboratories that can respond quickly to acts of chemical or biological terrorism, emerging infectious diseases and other public health threats and emergencies.
Talking Points:
About LRN Mission
LRN Mission Statement succinctly answers the question: What is the LRN?
Mission statement highlights three key goals of the LRN:
Continued development of its laboratory network by supporting existing members and expanding its membership base;
Capacity building, and;
Nurturing its partnerships.
“IT IS NOTEWORTHY TO POINT OUT THAT THE LRN’S MISSION REFLECTS A PUBLIC HEATLH FOCUS BEYOND CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL TERRORISM AND THAT THE LRN RESPONDS TO OTHER PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERNS.”
“OUR MISSION IS EVIDENT IN SOME OF OUR RECENT PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCIES.”
During the course of the 2001 anthrax investigation, the LRN labs tested more than 125,000 samples, representing about 1 million tests.
Select LRN labs are participating in surveillance for environmental exposures using air samplers. These labs are testing the filters from the air samplers daily for biological agents.
Currently, LRN is helping to develop tests and reagents used to detect coronavirus.

3. The Laboratory Network
Talking Points:
The foundation of the LRN is its member laboratories.
Points on the map represent both reference and national labs.
National labs represent the CDC and US Army Medical Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) at Fort Detrick, MD.
Reference labs are state and local public health labs, and some military labs. The goal is to have at least one BSL3 lab in each state.
LRN is working to establish relationships with private and commercial labs, totaling about 2,500, to act as sentinel labs capable or performing preliminary tests and shipping samples to appropriate reference labs for confirmatory testing. There is also a potential for sentinel labs to handle surge in case reference labs become overwhelmed.
This structure is designed to enhance the public health infrastructure by integrating the expertise and capacity of labs nationwide and globally.
Rather than a few labs performing rapid lab testing, more labs are capable of such testing in the event of an outbreak.
WHAT FOLLOWS IS AN ILLUSTRATION OF GEOGRAPHICAL COVERAGE AND WHERE STATE, LOCAL, FEDERAL, INTERNATIONAL AND MILITARY LABS ARE LOCATED
More than 150 federal, state and local labs in 50 states and abroad
Reference labs – BSL-3 labs capable of confirmatory testing for agents such as B. anthracis, and C. botulinum toxin.
National labs – CDC, military – perform definitive testing.

4. Partnerships Founding Partners CDC
Association of Public Health Laboratories
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Talking Points:
THE LRN SLOGAN IS “PARTNERS IN PREPAREDNESS.” PARTHERSHIPS DRIVE THE ORGANIZATION.
OUR FOUNDING PARTNERS, FOR EXAMPLE, EACH BROUGHT THEIR UNIQUE STRENGTHS AND PERSPECTIVES THAT HAVE HELPED SHAPE THE LRN INTO WHAT IT IS TODAY:
CDC-Expertise in handling virulent agents, developing clinical assays, investigating outbreaks of disease, and coordinating development and operation of the LRN;
APHL—Membership that allows for broad coverage. APHL also coordinates state and local public health labs for the LRN;
FBI – Helped shape chain of custody policies to protect the integrity of criminal investigations amidst often opposing public health investigations.

5. National Laboratories
National laboratories, including those operated by CDC, are responsible for specialized strain characterizations, bioforensics, select agent activity, and handling highly infectious biological agents and toxic chemicals.

6. Reference Labs
Reference laboratories - responsible for investigation and/or referral of specimens --are made up of more than 100 state and local public health, military, federal, and international laboratories. Lab types include veterinary, agriculture, food and water testing laboratories. In addition to laboratories located in the U.S., facilities located in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom serve as reference laboratories abroad.

7. Sentinel Laboratories
Sentinel laboratories provide routine diagnostic services, rule-out and referral steps in the identification process.
Although these laboratories may not be equipped to perform the same tests as LRN reference laboratories, they can test samples to determine whether those samples should be shipped to
reference or national laboratories for further testing.

8. Partnerships Shape the Scope of the LRN
International Laboratories – LRN membership includes labs in Australia and Canada;
Environmental – LRN is working with EPA to build testing capacity for measuring biological and chemical agents in environmental samples.
Food and Water – LRN includes food and water testing labs to guard against contamination
Veterinary labs –The National Animal Health Laboratory Network through USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), and the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians
LRN partnerships extend beyond its original founding partners. Relationships with federal agencies, such as the EPA, FDA and USDA, are helping to establish preparedness and response policies to protect food and water supplies, guard against chemical exposures and monitor animal populations that are often the first sign of a disease outbreak.
VDL’s may be joining the LRN to serve as Reference Labs under the USDA gatekeeper.

9. Role of Animal Diagnostic Laboratories Within the LRN
Surge capacity for testing of specimens associated with zoonotic agents and food samples
Sentinel surveillance for zoonotic disease
Primary laboratory partner in forging the link between human and animal disease

11. LRN Initiatives Include Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratories
Future expansion of ADDL (i.e. veterinary research and veterinary school labs) membership to include one in each state.
Continue collaboration with USDA (National Animal Health Laboratory Network) and the AAVLD (accreditation of ADDLs).

12. Partners in All Facets of Biological & Chemical Terrorism Preparedness and Response
The American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians
The American Society for Microbiology
The Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. Department of Agriculture
U.S. Department of Defense
U.S. Department of Energy
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
The Department of Homeland Security

13. Ready to Respond
In the event of a terrorist act or other public health
emergency, the LRN is poised to:
Test thousands of clinical specimens and environmental samples using its multi-level network of state, food testing, clinical, veterinary, military, and federal labs.
Coordinate response of CDC, law enforcement agencies, public health, and others.
Accept and transfer specimens to appropriate facilities, including the CDC where definitive testing can be done.
Assure a rapid laboratory response to any public health emergency.
The bottom line
The LRN is ready to respond in the event of a public health emergency, terrorism or otherwise.

14. LRN Formula for Success
Unified operational plan
Standardized protocols and tests
Secure communications
Molecular diagnostics
Rapid response and reporting
Safe, secure laboratories
Trained laboratorians
Coverage for human, animal, food, environmental specimens
CDC coordinated support and oversight
Quality laboratory results