A research facility within the US National Institutes of Health, responsible for studying Ebola and other infectious diseases, has been directed by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the Trump administration to cease research activities.
An email viewed by WIRED reveals that the Integrated Research Facility in Frederick, Maryland, was instructed to halt all experimental work by April 29 at 5 pm. This facility, part of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and located at Fort Detrick, focuses on treating and preventing high-risk infectious diseases. It employs 168 individuals, including federal workers and contractors.
Michael Holbrook, associate director for high containment at the Integrated Research Facility, communicated via email that studies on Lassa fever, SARS-CoV-2, and Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) are being terminated. EEE is a rare but deadly mosquito-borne disease reported in several Northern US states. Holbrook mentioned efforts to collect samples to ensure the studies remain valuable and noted that animal euthanasia was not ordered, allowing ongoing management of those animals. Holbrook did not respond to WIRED’s inquiry.
The email also described how Department of Homeland Security representatives were securing freezers in BSL-4 labs, which have the highest level of biosafety for studying dangerous microbes. There are roughly a dozen such labs in North America working with viruses like Ebola, Lassa fever, and Marburg. The Integrated Research Facility is among the few worldwide capable of performing medical imaging on animals infected with BSL-4 agents.
Gigi Kwik Gronvall, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, commented on the closure, highlighting the significant sacrifice to research. She emphasized that unused facilities could require more funding to resume operations.
The facility’s director, Connie Schmaljohn, has been placed on administrative leave, as noted in the email. Schmaljohn, previously a senior research scientist at the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, has over 200 research publications and has initiated several clinical trials for first-of-their-kind vaccines. She did not respond to WIRED’s inquiry.
Bradley Moss, communication director for the office of research services at NIH, confirmed the research halt in a statement to WIRED. He explained that a safety stand-down is in place due to personnel issues that jeopardized the facility’s safety culture. During this period, research is paused and access is restricted to essential personnel to protect the facility and its resources.
Moss provided no further details on the personnel issues and was uncertain about the duration of the research pause. Staff have not been informed of a reopening date.
This pause is the latest in a series of disruptions to federal science agencies following HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s announcement of mass layoffs. This restructuring, affecting 10,000 employees across several agencies including NIH, FDA, and CDC, is part of President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) plan.
