Anthony S. Fauci, M.D.
Dr. Fauci opened the Council session by welcoming visitors to the meeting, including four new Council members: Dr. Stanley Chapman, University of Mississippi Medical Center; Dr. Ruth Ruprecht, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Dr. Nathan Thielman, Duke University; and Dr. Gail Wertz, University of Alabama.
Dr. Fauci introduced three ad hoc Council members: Dr. Stanley Lemon, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston; Dr. Mohamed Sayegh, Brigham and Women’s; and Dr. Makkim Suthanthiran, Weill Medical College, Cornell University.
Consideration of Minutes of Previous Meeting:
The minutes of the September 29, 2003, meeting were considered and approved as written.
Staff and Organizational Changes:
Dr. Fauci announced new staff appointments. Dr. Charles Hackett has been appointed chief of the Asthma, Allergy, and Inflammation Branch in the Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Transplantation.
In the Division of Intramural Research, Dr. Harry Malech has been appointed chief of the Laboratory of Host Defenses.
Dr. Fauci also announced that Dr. Noel Rose will chair the NIH Autoimmune Diseases Coordinating Committee.
Budget Update
The NIAID budget for FY 2004 is $4.305 billion, an increase of $600,000,000 or 16 percent from FY 2003. The NIH increase is $812,000,000 or 3.0 percent, compared to FY 2003. The NIAID budget includes $150 million for the Global Fund for AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, and represents increases of 37.7 percent for biodefense, 6.6 percent for AIDS, and 6.2 percent for non-AIDS/non-biodefense research.
Legislative Update
Dr. Fauci reported that congressional interest in NIAID activities would continue in 2004 as SARS, influenza, and other emerging infectious diseases evolve.
Congress plans to draft a bill for NIH’s reauthorization. Congressional hearings on this topic are anticipated this year.
Final authorization for the Project BioShield Act of 2003, which the House has already passed, still awaits Senate approval.
Dr. Fauci noted that Congress is paying close attention to NIAID’s plans to establish national and regional biocontainment facilities, part of an initiative to enhance the national research capacity in infectious diseases. Dr. Fauci briefed the chairman of the House Committee on Science on the National Biocontainment awards made in September 2003.
Senator Barbara Mikulski and Congressman Chris Van Hollen, both of Maryland, have met with various NIH staff about the construction of Building 33, NIAID’s new integrated research facility.
Dr. Fauci presented NIAID activities in biodefense and emerging infections during an NIH orientation for House Budget Committee staff.
Other Information Items
Dr. Fauci updated the group on the avian influenza situation in Asia. Eight countries have reported forms of “bird flu,” primarily H5N1 and some H5N7. Two countries have had cases of the flu jumping from chickens to humans, which is cause for concern as it could lead to transmission from person to person. NIH, CDC, and WHO continue to keep a close watch on developments.
Dr. Fauci reported that the flu epidemic in this country has likely peaked. During November and December, widespread flu occupied 45 states. The number has since decreased to five. NIH is part of a comprehensive Department of Health and Human Services pandemic flu plan, along with CDC, FDA, and other agencies.
With regards to SARS, NIAID is involved in a number of important research advances and vaccine-related programs, such as a partnership with Baxter and Aventis to develop an inactivated SARS vaccine, and a partnership with Protein Sciences Corporation to develop a SARS Coronavirus spike protein recombinant vaccine. Additionally, the Vaccine Research Center has collaborated with GenVec to pursue an Adenovirus-based SARS vaccine. NIAID is also funding the China CDC to develop an inactivated whole virus vaccine.
Dr. Fauci presented statistics from UNAIDS about the number of people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS—approximately 40 million. Dr. Fauci and other members of the department traveled to Africa with Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson to observe treatment programs in Uganda, Zambia, Kenya, and Rwanda.
Dr. Fauci briefly mentioned the NIH roadmap initiative, including its three new components: new pathways to discovery, research teams of the future, and reengineering the clinical research enterprise.
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