Core A - Administrative Core (CIIG)

SUMMARY New interventions are seriously needed to prevent Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections and slow the spread of antibiotic resistant strains. The goal of the Center for Immunological Interventions against Gonorrhea (CIIG) is to strengthen public health tools by developing a promising gonorrhea vaccine, and a monoclonal antibody (Mab)-based therapeutic and companion diagnostic test. We are a large consortium of several experienced investigators at nine different institutions with the diverse expertise to achieve this goal. The overall goal of the Administrative Core (Core A) is to provide administrative infrastructure to support this multicomponent center. The center is organized around four Research Projects and three Scientific Cores. To ensure the CIIG is successful, Core A will: i.) foster interactive and synergistic interactions between internal stakeholders (CIIG Project and Core Leaders to maximize research accomplishments and increase the types of significant breakthroughs that occur when experts in different fields work together by holding monthly teleconferences to facilitate data exchange and internal peer review. Smaller working groups will be organized to help Project and Core leaders troubleshoot obstacles or focus on specific steps within their Research Strategies. Core A will also organize semi-annual meetings at which a standing Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) will review progress and recommend advancement of promising vaccines and abandonment of less promising approaches. ii.) Actively facilitate good communications between the Henry Jackson Foundation (HJF) and the different institutions within the CIIG so that accounting and regulatory responsibilities of the center are discharged in an efficient and straightforward manner. HJF is responsible for administering the awards to USU (primary site) and the subawards to each institution in the CIIG outside of USU. Dr. Jerse (Core Leader) and Dr. Tkavc (Core Associate), will attend quarterly meetings with USU and HJF administrative staff to review spending by the subawards and Dr. Jerse’s laboratory, and to receive updates on NIH requests and administrative interactions between HJF and the OSPs of all participating institutions. Core A will also document IACUC and IRB approvals and maintain approval letters for the Research Projects that require these assurances. iii.) Regularly communicate with NIAID/NIH program officers to ensure that our progress towards milestones is transparent and to be are aware of changes in the programmatic focus. Dr. Jerse will participate in virtual CETR Director’s meetings and be responsive to announcements and requests from Program. NIAID program staff will be invited to CIIG annual meetings to evaluate progress and explain the programmatic view regarding priorities and new directions. A management plan will guide the flow of responsibilities that are inherent to managing the proposed center. Dr. Jerse and several CIIG investigators have worked with the USU and HJF administrative teams that will manage the proposed Center under two U19 STI Cooperative Research Center grants. Based on this history, we are confident that management of the CIIG through Core A will be successful.