The overall objective of administrative Core A is to provide this multi-PI, multi-institutional U19 IPCAVD Project the opportunity to interact synergistically by facilitating the communication among the Project Leaders and all participating scientists. Core A will also serve as liaison between Research Administration at the contact institution, the Texas Biomedical Research Institute (TxBiomed), all the affiliated institutions both in the US and in Europe, and NIAD representatives. The network of partnering scientists includes researchers in Texas, Louisiana, Georgia and several countries in Europe; the major partner is Mymetics in Switzerland. The innovative biotech company has developed gp41-based virosomes into to a novel vaccine platform that is cold-chain independent and can be administered mucosally without needles.
The Specific Aims of Core A are to: 1. Provide administrative support and facilitate the collaboration among Projects 1 and 2 and the various subcontract/subaward leaders and partners. This will include the exchange of information, reagents, and material transfer agreements. 2. Set priorities, monitor progress and jointly make go/no-go decisions. This will be achieved with input from the External Scientific Advisory Board (ESAB) and the NIAID IPCAVD Program Officer. 3. Assist in the design of experiments in rhesus macaques (RMs), protocol design and submission, and exchange of samples between the New Iberia Research Center (NIRC), where the primate studies will be conducted, and TxBiomed. 4. Provide statistical support for all IPCAVD scientists through the participation of Dr. Sarah Ratcliffe through a subaward with the University of Virginia (UVA). 5. Provide financial oversight and assure prompt payment of bills as well as the timely achievement of the experimental goals within budget limits. 6. Organize the yearly NIH Site Visit and the External Scientific Advisory Board (ESAB) meeting in the Washington, D.C. area, as well as individual visits between Drs. Ruprecht, Villinger, Santangelo and Fleury. 7. Address intellectual property (IP) issues fairly, timely, and equitably. 8. Facilitate the submission of reports, dissemination of data at meetings, and publication of manuscripts. To meet the goals of this translational, highly interactive U19 Research Program, the Core A Leader/Contact PI depends on the trained professionals with excellent organization skills as well as basic understanding of science and medicine to make this U19 network of scientists successful.
