1. U.S. Department of Defense Drug and Vaccine Development
LT Mazie Barcus
U.S. NAMRU 2
Jakarta, Indonesia

2. DoD Force Health Protection Tenet
“The most valuable, most complex weapons system the U.S. Military will ever field are its soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines.”
“New and emerging infectious diseases will pose a rising global health threat and will complicate U.S. and global security over the next 20 years.”
“These diseases will endanger U.S. citizens at home and abroad, threaten U.S. armed forces deployed overseas, and exacerbate social and political instability.”
DoD’s responsibility for the protection of military and civilian populations alike compels its interest in infectious disease prevention, and by extension, vaccines.

3. Why is the DoD involved in Infectious Disease Research?
Up until WWII, deaths due to infectious diseases outnumbered those due to combat injuries
Potential for naturally occurring infections to play pivotal role in deployments
Frequent deployments to geographic regions with endemic infections

4. U.S. Army Hospital Admissions During War
In recent years,

5. Some DoD Infectious Diseases Highlights
1962: isolated rubella virus
1970: meningitis vaccine
1970: antimalarial mefloquine developed
1986: hepatitis A vaccine developed
1997: PCR-based detection of camplobacter
1997: oral camplobacter vaccine
1998: first induction of immune response against malaria in humans with a DNA vaccine
2002: completed sequence of malaria parasite and anopheline genome (Science and Nature)

6. Military Infectious Disease Research Program (MIDRP)
Development of products to protect deployed warfighters against naturally-occurring infectious diseases
Vaccines
Drugs
Vector control products
Diagnostic tests
Peer-reviewed program for proposed research
Advanced development managed by
USAMMDA and usually done with commercial partners

7. Examples of 2001 Vaccine-related Research
Malaria vaccines
Prevention of diarrheal diseases
Flavivirus vaccines
Malaria genome project
Hepatitis virus vaccines
Meningococcal vaccines
Vaccine delivery systems
Hemorrhagic fever vaccines
Rickettsial diseases
Prevention of HIV

8. Global Network of Research Facilities
OCONUS Medical Research Units
Central Coordinating Hub
Germany
WRAIR
NMRC
Egypt
Thailand
Kenya
Indonesia
Peru

9. Central Hub Joint Army-Navy Medical Research Institute
Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC)
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
5 major research areas
Infectious diseases
Combat casualty care
Operational medicine
USAMRIID (Frederick, MD) BSL4 research facility
“To investigate disease threats and develop effective medical countermeasures to protect and sustain U.S. troops”
Chemical defense
Biological defense

10. Research Support Active duty military, civilians Technology Transfer
CRADAs, medical transfer agreements, patent licenses
Universities, private industries, research foundations
Civilian sector involvement
Small Business Innovative Research Awards
Dual-use Science and Technology Agreements
Government and Non-government Organizations
NIH (funding, HIV research, NIAID)
CDC (disease outbreak investigations, vaccines)
WHO (reference laboratories)
Base for development of technology

11. Overseas Laboratories
Testing of infectious disease technology
Emerging, re-emerging, and naturally occurring infectious disease surveillance
Technology transfer to host nation
U.S. Military, Foreign Service Nationals, local contractors
Convergence of purposes: diseases of military importance are those of concern to host nation public health
Hosted by Ministry of Health or Military

12. U.S. Navy NAMRU-2 NAMRU-3 NMRCD Jakarta, Indonesia Cairo, Egypt
Lima, Peru

13. U.S. Army AFRIMS USAMRU-K USAMRU-E Bangkok, Thailand Nairobi, Kenya
Heidelberg, Germany
(behavioral sciences)

14. Summary Limited private sector involvement
Convergence of purposes with military
National Security
Protection of U.S. Personnel abroad
General global and economic development

15. Some Useful Websites nmrc.navy.mil wrair.army.mil
Links to Navy overseas labs
wrair.army.mil
Links to Army overseas labs