The purpose of this administrative core is to support high levels of innovation and collaboration, implement research team processes, and assume responsibility for administrative work as the foundational infrastructure enabling the investigators to focus on achieving the scientific goals of this program project, Pathogenesis of Rebound SIV/HIV Viremia after Antiretroviral Therapy. Progress toward the ultimate goal of eliminating rebound of HIV viremia after stopping early antiretroviral therapy will be accelerated if the experimental strategies of this PPG are informed and actively updated of discoveries from the entire, international HIV research effort. We have proposed creative and feasible mechanisms to assure the active engagement of our entire PPG team with new knowledge and to support nimble re-design of experimental plans with appropriate allocation of resources. The design of the AC uses robust tools for communications and administrative processes with the intent to be economically efficient and reserve resources for experimentation in the scientific projects and non-human primate core. The AC will be led by the PPG Program Director, Dr. Richard D'Aquila, and will address the following three aims: 1) Establish governance structures facilitating maximum research collaboration and productivity, implement processes for effective communications, and promote excellence via critical, productive external review, 2) Assure that PPG investigators function at the edge of discovery by supporting continual evolution of experimental strategy informed by engagement with HIV research advances outside the PPG, and 3) Establish efficient processes for administrative and fiscal management of PPG resources and effort across all performance sites. The AC will use an experienced Program Manager, an Executive Committee of the principal investigators, and an annually-convened Scientific Advisory Board to manage, govern, and review the PPG, respectively. The AC will work with an additional, innovative component to keep PPG research at the edge of discovery - the CORA (Clinical Observation of Rebound after pausing ART) Advisory Team. The CORA Advisory Team (CAT) will bring together leaders from the US Military HIV Research Program investigating early infection in a human cohort in Thailand (the RV 254/SEARCH 010 study), clinicians and clinical investigators from diverse Chicago institutions at the forefront of HIV care, and patients in order to review the newest information in HIV cure and viremia rebound research and plan a human pilot, observational study in years 4-5 of this PPG. AC support of the PPG scientific team and the CAT will accelerate the pace of scientific discovery by strengthening integration, promoting communications, efficiently delivering administrative services, and lowering organizational barriers to allow investigators to productively and interactively advance the scientific aims of this program.
