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WRAIR Deputy Commander is New Member of Council on Foreign Relations

Col. Gray Heppner, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research deputy commander, recently was named a member of the esteemed member of the Council on Foreign Relations. The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, influential think tank and publisher of Foreign Affairs named 76 new life members drawn from government, military, academia, business, journalism, law and other professions. Included on the list was Col. Gray Heppner, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research deputy commander. Heppner, an expert in global health, was nominated by four CFR members; retired Lockheed Martin CEO Norm Augustine, Senator Mark Warner, Bill & Melinda Gate Foundation's Global Health Forum President Tachi Yamada and Columbia University's Steven Morse. CFR members enjoy unique opportunities for scholarship and are able to debate the impact of their specific areas of expertise on foreign policy in off the record meetings with senior leaders.

WRAIR Scientists Report Preliminary Pre-Clinical Results of First Cross-Species Protection Against Malaria

Scientists report the first cross-species protection against malaria using their lead pre-erythrocytic stage vaccine candidate PfCelTOS, a codon-harmonized recombinant protein. Publication of their work is in the online free access journal PLoS One on August 19, 2010. In this report, the scientific team, led by Dr. Evelina Angov, and immunologist Dr. Elke Bergmann-Leitner; showed that the Plasmodium falciparum CelTOS antigen formulated with Montanide ISA 720 (Seppic, Inc.,) induced sterile protection against a virulent challenge with the rodent malaria, P. berghei sporozoites. The CelTOS protein, an acronym for "cell traversal protein for ookinetes and sporozoites" was previously shown to have a role in the migration of parasites in both the mosquito vector and the human host and is absolutely essential for parasite survival. Dr. Angov states," We believe that by targeting and killing the parasite through a vaccine approach against CelTOS we could have a positive effect against two stages of the parasites; the first is to block the ability of the sporozoite injected by the mosquito into the human by preventing invasion of the parasite into liver cells, and the second, to block the ability of the ookinete stage of the parasites to develop within the mosquito itself." The encouraging results from this study led to the cGMP manufacture of the protein at the WRAIR Pilot BioProduction Facility at the Forest Glen Annex, Silver Spring, MD, with the intent to begin phase 1 clinical trials of this vaccine component in 2011. This project is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Army Medical Infectious Diseases Research Program (MIDRP). USAID Malaria Vaccine Development Senior Technical Advisor Dr. Carter Diggs remarked: "We are encouraged by these preliminary pre-clinical results and enthusiastically support moving forward to test the vaccine in human subjects against the lethal human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum."

Ecology: A world without mosquitoes

An entomologist, Major Jittawadee Murphy, from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research describes her work with malaria-carrying mosquitoes in her carefully secured laboratory. The question introduced by this interesting article is "Should we eradicate the mosquito from its many ecosystems?" for the health of mankind. The article in Nature News is "A World Without Mosquitoes".

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Change of Command, Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, U.S. Army Medical Component

Change of Command, Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences
The Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, U.S. Army Medical Component hosted a change of command ceremony 1 July 2010 in Bangkok Thailand to thank outgoing Commander United States Army Colonel James W. Boles and welcome incoming commander Colonel Robert A. Bowden. The ceremony was hosted by Colonel Kent E. Kester Commander, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.

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Walter Reed Army Institute of Research Newsletter, Summer 2010 Edition

Highlight: Commander's Corner. COL Kent Kester discusses how the WRAIR plays a part in the execution of the White House's updated National Security Strategy and DoD's policy outlining Military Health Support in Global Stability Missions.

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Walter Reed Army Institute of Research Recognized for Its Contributions to JE Vaccine

The Department of Defense was recognized 24 May 2010 by Intercell for its contributions in the research, development and clinical testing of the newly licensed Japanese Encephalitis vaccine. Intercell specifically gave special recognition to the scientists at WRAIR who initiated the vaccine project and contributed to numerous aspects of the development of the vaccine up to licensure. As a result of this public-private partnership, military personnel, dependents, and civilians will be protected against the serious and growing risk of disease caused by JE when travelling to many countries of the world.

Pictured L to R Claudia Golenda (WRAIR), Gerd Zettlmeissl (Intercell), Dr. Ken Eckels (WRAIR), Col. Gray Heppner (WRAIR), Lt. Col. Art Lyons (WRAIR), Paul Wilson (Intercell), Jeff Hackman (Intercell), Maj. Gen. James Gilman (MRMC), and Dr. Charles Rice (performing the duties of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs).

World Malaria Day 2010 at the WRAIR: In Video

Roll Back Malaria World Malaria Day 2009 WRAIR commemorated World Malaria Day 2010 with a seminar by Dr. Ashley Birkett, Director, Pre and Early Clinical Research and Development at the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) titled, Malaria Vaccine Development: Recent Advancements and Future Directions. MVI and WRAIR, along with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Biologicals, are collaborating on the RTS,S malaria vaccine trial. Among all malaria vaccine candidates, RTS,S shows the most promise.

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WRAIR Soldier Receives General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award

Capt. Richard E. Wood of WRAIR is the recipient of the prestigious General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award for 2009. He is the United States Army Medical Command representative. Wood's most significant accomplishment and contribution in 2009 was serving at the 44th MEDCOM, Fort Bragg as a premier medical logistician while deployed to support OEF/OIF in Iraq. He significantly innovated and streamlined the medical logistics policies and procedures to an unprecedented level of excellence in the Iraqi Theater of Operations, maintaining command and control of his team despite their multiple missions at myriad locations throughout the combat zone. He was instrumental in supporting the theater wide distribution of over $12 million worth of HEMCON bandages, $1.5 million worth of Warrior Aid Litter Kits, and over 55,000 units of life-saving blood products. Simply put, Wood's contribution to the mission in Iraq unquestionably saved many lives. Upon return from his deployment, Wood continued to excel by taking on the mission to establish and activate the first and only Medical Logistics Support Company in the Army, which involved coordinating the lateral transfer and accountability of millions of dollars of property and multiple personnel transactions. Wood's dedication and commitment to excellence resulted in one of the most successful transitions in the Medical Command.

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On the Front Line Against Malaria: Army Medical Researchers in Kenya Mark World Malaria Day 2010

Lt. Col. Maria Bovill with Kenyans
By Rick Scavetta, U.S. Army Africa

KISUMU, Kenya - Hundreds of local people gathered Sunday at Kit Mikayi primary school to mark World Malaria Day 2010 with educational skits, songs and dance.

Lt. Col. Maria Bovill (right), director of U.S. Army Medical Research Unit-Kenya's Kombewa Clinical Research Center was among crowds of people at Kit Mikayi primary school to mark World Malaria Day 2010. Click to download or share this photo.

Among them was Lt. Col. Maria Bovill, director of U.S. Army Medical Research Unit-Kenya's Kombewa clinic, where research into the world's first malaria vaccine is underway.

The daylong event offered a great opportunity for the people to share information about the advances of malaria research and reiterate prevention measures with the community, Bovill said.

"This is important for the community where we work, to recognize the advancements in malaria research and prevention," Bovill said. "I'm proud to be a part of it."

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WRAIR Scientist Named 2010 Sleep Research Society Young Investigator

Dr. Tracy Rupp
Dr. Tracy Rupp, Research Psychologist, Division of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Department of Behavioral Biology, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) has been named the recipient of the 2010 Sleep Research Society Young Investigator Award. Dr. Rupp will be presented the award at the 2010 meeting of the Association of Professional Sleep Societies in San Antonio, Texas 5-9 June. Within the sleep research community, this is the highest honor possible for a young investigator. Winners are selected by the Sleep Research Society based on scientific excellence as reflected in a recent publication. Dr. Rupp's award winning publication is: Rupp TL, Wesensten NJ, Bliese PD, Balkin TJ. Banking sleep: realization of benefits during subsequent sleep restriction and recovery. Sleep. 2009 Mar 1;32(3):311-21.

Dr. Rupp has PhD and MSc., in experimental psychology from Brown University, and a BA in psychology from Duke University. Her research interests include; Effects of sleep and sleep loss on waking cognitive performance and executive function; Factors influencing recovery rate from chronic sleep loss; Neurophysiological changes associated with sleep loss and recovery sleep; Individual differences in and predictors of vulnerability or resiliency to sleep deprivation; and Countermeasures to detrimental effects of sleep loss on cognition and waking function.

WRAIR hosts the Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience, which is the DoD's premier organization for research on psychological health, resilience, operational readiness, and the diagnosis, prevention, and mitigation of brain trauma. The behavioral biology program investigates and develops the means to optimize warfighter readiness, efficacy, and resilience during continuous military operations, when there is little or no opportunity to sleep.

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