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John La Montagne, Ph.D. Director, DMID
Dr. John R. La Montagne, Director of the Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (DMID), welcomed the MID Subcommittee of the National Advisory Allergy and Infectious Diseases Council and provided a brief report of Division activities. Dr. La Montagne noted two personnel changes since the last session of Council -- the appointment of Dr. Pamela McInnes as Chief of the Respiratory Diseases Branch and the addition of Ms. Linda Rosendorf to the Clinical Regulatory Affairs Branch. Dr. La Montagne summarized a recent meeting in Antwerp, Belgium organized by a number of international and domestic organizations on the Ebola virus. He also updated the Subcommittee on the U.S.-Japan Cooperative Medical Sciences Program, which recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. The U.S.-Japan Cooperative Medical Sciences Program co-sponsored a conference in July, 1996 on emerging infectious diseases, which focused in large part on the recent outbreak of E. coli 0157 in Japan. Dr. La Montagne also mentioned that he had been appointed the U.S. Chair of a task force created in conjunction with the European Community on research and training issues related to emerging infectious diseases.
Four DMID Branches, the Bacteriology and Mycology Branch, the Enteric Diseases Branch, the Parasitology and International Programs Branch, and the Respiratory Diseases Branch, presented storyboards and concepts for clearance. Dr. Dennis Dixon, Chief of the Bacteriology and Mycology Branch (BMB), in describing his Branch's storyboard, explained the structure of the Branch and identified the responsibilities of all BMB program officers. Dr. Dixon also outlined the research goals and strategies of BMB, noted recent initiatives launched by the Branch, and described trans-NIH BMB activities. Total number of awards, provided by category, and research dollars were provided.
Dr. Dixon presented one concept for clearance, a Program Announcement (PA) focusing on Ehrlichia, aspergillosis and antibacterial/antifungal drug resistance that would consider diagnosis, transmission and pathogenesis issues. There was discussion among the Subcommittee about whether a PA with no set-aside funding would be incentive enough for the scientific community to respond to the PA. Dr. La Montagne reminded the Subcommittee of the Institute's new policy emphasizing PAs, which will include an annual report to the Council regarding the success of this new approach.
Dr. Leslye Johnson, Chief of the Enteric Diseases Branch (EDB), then presented EDB's storyboard, which included a discussion of the structure, goals and scientific activities of the Branch. Dr. Johnson mentioned that the all of the Branch's activities were reviewed earlier this year by a group of extramural scientists and summarized the major programmatic recommendations provided by the group. Dr. Johnson also presented a concept for a PA for clearance that would attempt to address the research opportunities and needs identified as part of the recent program review.
Dr. Stephanie James, Chief of the Parasitology and International Programs Branch (PIPB), presented PIPB's storyboard, describing the structure of the Branch according to research topics, and outlining the scientific goals and activities. Dr. Lee Hall, Host Immunity Program Officer in PIPB, presented a concept for clearance on malaria, an RFA for cooperative agreements examining immunologic correlates of resistance to Plasmodium falciparum in endemic areas. He also presented a PA, entitled "Immunologic Intervention in Infectious Diseases," which will extend a DMID initiative launched four years.
Dr. Pamela McInnes, Chief of the Respiratory Diseases Branch, presented her Branch's storyboard, which encompassed the Branch's structure, goals, research strategies, and gap areas (all storyboards presented addressed gap areas in the respective programs). Dr. McInnes also presented two concepts for clearance: a PA entitled "Respiratory Pathogens: Research Opportunities and Needs," and an initiative to support a reference and resource laboratory for studies of Streptococcus pneumoniae utilizing the contract mechanism.
Dr. Dixon and Dr. Phil Baker, DMID's Lyme Disease Program Officer, provided an update on the Division's Lyme disease clinical research activities. Dr. Jack Edwards, who chairs a NIAID Advisory Panel recently created to assist with clinical activities related to Lyme disease, and Dr. Adriana Marques, who is the Principal Investigator of the NIAID's Intramural Lyme disease study, also briefly spoke before the Subcommittee, describing the mission of the Advisory Panel and status of intramural studies, respectively. Dr. Stephen Heyse, Medical Officer for BMB, provided an overview of Lyme disease information available on the Internet.
Dr. Robert Quackenbush provided an overview on DMID training activities, including specific information on the different training mechanisms utilized by the Division, and a breakdown of training efforts by each branch.
Dr. Stephanie James informed the Subcommittee that the Institute has just completed an updated and more comprehensive Research Agenda for Emerging Diseases (each Council member received a copy). The intent of this document is to provide an integrated, proactive research strategy that will contribute to national and international preparedness to meet the challenges posed by emerging and reemerging infectious diseases. Dr. La Montagne stated that it is the Institute's hope that this agenda will highlight the importance of both surveillance and research to address these problems.
Dr. Curlin provided an update on the Institute's pertussis activities, which include a multicenter trial through the Vaccine Treatment and Evaluation Units that will focus on the use of acellular pertussis vaccines in adults. Finally, Drs. Michael Gottlieb and Lee Hall provided an update on malaria activities, specifically the malaria genome project, an NIH malaria initiative in Africa, a summary of a recent IOM report on malaria vaccines and information on a malaria research network among investigators in the field.
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