Gerbasi IPA Agreement

Statement from the Naval Medical Research Center: The Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) in Silver Spring MD has a long history of medical research aimed at developing products to protect the warfighter from infectious diseases. NMRC has worked for decades towards the development of a vaccine to protect the warfighter from malaria and we are now closer than ever in achieving our goals. While the NMRC Malaria Dept has attracted record DoD and non-DoD funding, loss of highly trained personnel in proteomics and malaria liver stage biology threatens to set back our research goals and will create difficulties in meeting our mission as well as commitments to funders. Northwestern University is one of the leading centers for proteomics research and is home to one of Nation’s “Proteomics Centers of Excellence”. A key feature of this center is the practice of “Top-Down Mass Spectrometry”, a research method that can accelerate the development of a malaria vaccine for NMRC. An intergovernmental personnel assignment of a qualified Northwestern University staff member to NMRC (in a part-time status) will aid the NMRC Malaria Department in vaccine development by facilitating research projects requiring mass spectrometry and malaria liver stage expertise. Research Objectives for Dr. Gerbasi: 1. Support ongoing discovery research in the NMRC Malaria Department by providing expertise in proteomics and malaria liver stage biology. 2. Complete research (already funded) requiring proteomics expertise and analyze data. 3. Confirm that deliverables for NMRC contracts requiring proteomics work have been received. 4. Complete progress reports for funded research that requires proteomics expertise; participate in conference calls and meetings with NMRC Malaria Department and research funders (DoD and non-DoD). 5. Compete for new research funds to support discovery research and malaria vaccine development. 6. Draft manuscripts for publication that arise from malaria liver stage and proteomics/antigen discovery research. 7. Assist Malaria Department to draft and review cooperative research and development agreements (CRADAs) between NMRC and partners in research related to malaria liver stages and proteomics. 8. Serve as ad hoc reviewer of manuscripts, reports, and research proposals developed and written by NMRC researchers. 9. Report to Malaria Dept Head via monthly conference calls, ad hoc telephone calls and emails, and at least two visits to NMRC per year.