Gulf War Illness

GWICTIC focuses on phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials in a collaborative group, engaging many of the clinical and preclinical experts in the field, in partnership with an advocacy coalition.

The studies build on the growing knowledge of the illness, as the investment in pathogenesis and preclinical studies of Gulf War Illness (GWI), funded by the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) and Veterans Administration (VA) GWI programs, have yielded a deeper understanding of mediators, biologic subgroups and the utility of illness modeling to focus therapeutic strategies. Specifically, we aim to capitalize on the two previously funded GWIC consortia through CDMRP:

• Understanding GWI: An Integrative Modeling Approach (CDMRP # W81XWH-13-2-0085 Morris, NSU)
• Brain-Immune Interactions as the Basis of GWI: Gulf War Illness Consortium (GWIC) (CDMRP # W81XWH13-2-0072 Sullivan, BU)

Over the last decade, Dr. Klimas and her research team, as well as collaborators nationwide, have identified biomarkers of disease activity including, but not limited to, mitochondrial dysfunction, chronic oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation. Research teams have joined forces due to the complexity of GWI to produce innovative, efficient and evidence-based clinical trials.

It is with this understanding that treatment will rely on approaches that address more than a single mechanism of action, whether using single agents that target multiple organ systems and mechanisms of action or combination approaches that should have synergistic effects. Specifically, utilizing approaches that address chronic oxidative stress and neuroinflammation.

Nancy Klimas, M.D.

Principal Investigator, Director of the Operations Center

Dr. Klimas formed Nova Southeastern University’s Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine (INIM), by bringing an interdisciplinary group of faculty together to study GWI and other complex medical conditions. She is Professor of Medicine and Chair of the Department of Clinical Immunology at NSU, and has been a staff physician and Director of Clinical Immunology Research at the Miami VAMC for 33 years. Dr. Klimas is Director of the UM/VAMC GWI and ME/CFS Research Center and GWI clinic. She is recognized internationally for her research and clinical efforts in multi-symptom disorders.

Amanpreet Cheema, Ph.D. 

Director of Research Operations, Administrative Director

Dr. Cheema is an experienced scientist and the Program Director of Research Operations under the Gulf War Illness Clinical Trials and Interventions Center. She oversees clinical research development, implementation and operations. She has served as the Administrative Director of the NSU-based GWIC, coordinating the operations of the multi-site, multi-study consortium. She provides her expertise in biochemistry, nutrition and develops clinical research projects using nutraceuticals/dietary factors. 

At NSU, she holds an Assistant Professor position at INIM, Department of Nutrition Science and Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography where she develops, and teaches graduate and undergraduate level courses as well as provides student research mentorship.

Karen Kesler, Ph.D.

Co-Principal Investigator, Director for Study Management & Biostatics Core

Dr. Karen Kesler is the Director of the Study Management Biostatics Core, based at RTI International. RTI provides administrative and logistical support, including study management and monitoring, regulatory support, clinical informatics and data management, clinical trial design, and biostatistical analysis.

Kristina Aenlle, Ph.D.

Associate Director, E.M. Papper Laboratory of Clinical Immunology
Assistant Professor, K. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine

Dr. Kristina Aenlle’s diverse research background has taken her from the brain to the stem cell niche of the bone, always with the focus of the endocrine system signaling and aging. Her research goal is to improve and promote healthy aging by understanding the molecular changes that are occurring during aging. Alongside Drs. Klimas, she examines the molecular mechanism of HPA/HPG axis disruption in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and Gulf War Illness (GWI). Dr. Aenlle's training in endocrinology, neuroscience, aging, and biochemistry provides a strong backbone upon which she can explore the molecular and endocrine disruptions underlying ME/CFS and GWI. Her expertise contributes to the growing field of these complex, neuroinflammatory illnesses, while focusing on aging. Dr. Aenlle's long-term goal is to develop a safe and efficient treatment to reboot the HPA/HPG axis and provide support during the aging process in ME/CFS and GWI.

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Mary Ann Fletcher, Ph.D.

Biomarker Core

Dr. Fletcher is a leader in biomarker discovery and validation. Her laboratory has served as the core lab for local and national studies of GWI, as well as, the national biorepository site for the BU (Sullivan) GWIC. This Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-certified high complexity laboratory has methods for functional assays and serologic, flow cytometric, and genomic studies.

Karen Kesler, Ph.D.

Co-Principal Investigator, Director for Study Management & Biostatics Core

Dr. Karen Kesler is the Director of the Study Management Biostatics Core, based at RTI International. RTI provides administrative and logistical support, including study management and monitoring, regulatory support, clinical informatics and data management, clinical trial design, and biostatistical analysis.

David Quesada, Ph.D.

Computational Neuroscience, Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine

Dr David Quesada Saliba is an Associate Professor with the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and is part of the Computational Systems Biology group at INIM. He holds a PhD in Physics from the University of Havana, Cuba and an MS in Physics and Mathematics from Moscow State University, Lomonosov, Russian Federation. He has been in academia for over 30 years, working in various roles, and has focused more on biomedical problems over the last 8 years.

Kimberly Sullivan, Ph.D.

Boston University

Dr. Sullivan is a Research Associate Professor at the Boston University School of Public Health department of Environmental Health and the former Associate Scientific Director for the Congressionally directed Research Advisory Committee (RAC) on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses. She is a behavioral neuroscientist and the Principal Investigator (PI) on the multi-site Gulf War Illness Biorepository Network (BBRAIN) designed to share biospecimens and foster collaboration with other GWI researchers. Dr. Sullivan has worked in the field of aging and behavioral neurotoxicology since 1992 and has also coordinated field studies in neurotoxicology (i.e., pesticides, methylmercury), neurobehavioral outcomes and the effects of physical stressors and genetic predisposition to disease on cognitive functioning in Alzheimer's disease, stroke and Parkinson disease.

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Wes Ashford, M.D., Ph.D.

Palo Alto WRIISC

Dr. Ashford has been the Director of the War Related Illness and Injury Study Center (WRIISC) site, based at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, since 2007. Dr. Ashford has a strong interest in understanding the health concerns of Veterans and how to manage their numerous unexplained symptoms, including memory problems and severe chronic pain. His current research is focused on the improvement of the assessing multiple illnesses in Veterans, particularly pain, cognitive impairment, sleep disruption/chronic fatigue, autonomic dysregulation, and non-pharmacologic interventions including rTMS. 

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Helena Chandler, Ph.D.

VA New Jersey Healthcare System (WRIISC)

Dr. Chandler joined the WRIISC as a postdoctoral fellow in 2002, after completing her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology at Virginia Tech. Dr. Chandler has 20 years of experience applying behavioral medicine principles to the Veteran population and her research and clinical specialty is in those Veterans with medically unexplained and deployment-related health concerns. Dr. Chandler has received federal funding for studies addressing issues of Gulf War Illness, Chronic Multi-symptom Illness, delivery of healthcare services, and the impact of mental health conditions (particularly PTSD) on physical symptoms.

Dr. Chandler has a particular research interest in three interconnected areas of research: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Medically Unexplained Symptoms (MUS), and Healthcare Utilization. Dr. Chandler’s current primary role is to lead the NJ WRIISC in advancing and disseminating knowledge about deployment related health issues and environmental exposure concerns.

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Drew Helmer, M.D., M.S.

Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center/Baylor College of Medicine

Dr. Helmer is the Deputy Director and Investigator at the Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness & Safety at Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, TX. He is also a Professor in the Department of Medicine and Section of Health Services Research at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Helmer is an expert in military exposures and deployment-related health concerns, the impact of combat deployment on the health and well-being of military service members. In addition to caring for Veterans and educating providers about post-deployment health, Dr. Helmer studies healthcare utilization and outcomes important to deployed Veterans including chronic pain, exposure concerns, depression and suicidal ideation, mild traumatic brain injury, and sexual health concerns. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and a book for a lay audience on these topics.

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Nancy Klimas, M.D.

South Florida

Dr. Klimas formed Nova Southeastern University’s Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine (INIM), by bringing an interdisciplinary group of faculty together to study GWI and other complex medical conditions. She is Professor of Medicine and Chair of the Department of Clinical Immunology at NSU, and has been a staff physician and Director of Clinical Immunology Research at the Miami VAMC for 33 years. Dr. Klimas is Director of the UM/VAMC GWI and ME/CFS Research Center and GWI clinic. She is recognized internationally for her research and clinical efforts in multi-symptom disorders.

Dikoma C. Shungu, Ph.D.

Weill Cornell Medical College

Dr. Shungu is the Professor of Physics in Radiology at Weill Cornell Medicine and Director of the Laboratory for Advanced MRS Research, which focuses on developing magnetic resonance-based neuroimaging technologies for clinical diagnosis and applications in neuroscience research. A major focus of this research is on the discovery of noninvasive biomarkers that can aid in the diagnosis, monitoring and advancing the understanding of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. Dr. Shungu is a 2010 Fellow of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM), and a 2016 Distinguished Investigator of the Academy for Radiology & Biomedical Imaging Research.

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Kimberly Sullivan, Ph.D.

Boston University

Dr. Sullivan is a Research Associate Professor at the Boston University School of Public Health department of Environmental Health and the former Associate Scientific Director for the Congressionally directed Research Advisory Committee (RAC) on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses. She is a behavioral neuroscientist and the Principal Investigator (PI) on the multi-site Gulf War Illness Biorepository Network (BBRAIN) designed to share biospecimens and foster collaboration with other GWI researchers. Dr. Sullivan has worked in the field of aging and behavioral neurotoxicology since 1992 and has also coordinated field studies in neurotoxicology (i.e., pesticides, methylmercury), neurobehavioral outcomes and the effects of physical stressors and genetic predisposition to disease on cognitive functioning in Alzheimer's disease, stroke and Parkinson disease.

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Palo Alto (VA): War Related Illness and Injury Study Center Home (va.gov)
PI: Wes Ashford | wes.ashford@va.gov | (650) 852-3316

Houston (VA): https://www.houston.hsrd.research.va.gov/bios/helmer.asp
PI: Drew Helmer | drew.helmer@va.gov | (713) 440-4452

New Jersey (VA): https://www.va.gov/new-jersey-health-care/staff-profiles/helena-chandler/
PI: Helena Chandler | helena.chandler@va.gov | 973-676-3580

Boston University: https://sites.bu.edu/bbrain/
PI: Kimberly Sullivan | tty@bu.edu | 617-358-2168

Cornell (Imaging Site): https://vivo.weill.cornell.edu/display/cwid-dcs7001  
PI: Dikoma C. Shungu | dcs7001@med.cornell.edu

In this study, we aim to reset the underlying mechanisms of disease by suppression of the autoantibody production and inflammatory response using a b-cell suppression therapy (BCST).

Principal Investigator: Nancy Klimas, MD, NSU & Miami VA Healthcare System

For more information, please contact us at 954-262-2870 or email GWICTIC@nova.edu.

Summary: The purpose of this study is to confirm the previous positive findings of a dietary treatment using low glutamate diet on the symptoms of Gulf War Illness in a larger group of veterans with Gulf War Illness (GWI).

Principal Investigator: Amanpreet Cheema, PhD, Nova Southeastern University

For more information, please contact us at 954-262-2870 or email GWICTIC@nova.edu.

Visit ClinicalTrials.gov for study record details.

Summary: Establish BBRAIN retrospective and prospective biorepository for GWI by data mining from BBRAIN collaborators and recruiting from four prospective resource sites.

Principal Investigator: Kristina Aenlle, PhD, Nova Southeastern University

For more information, please contact us at 954-262-2870 or email GWICTIC@nova.edu.

Summary: This study aims to develop a simple, low-cost diagnostic test, using blood or saliva, to identify Gulf War Illness (GWI) in veterans. The test is designed to track brain injury over time by detecting specific proteins related to the nervous system, potentially leading to better treatment options and disability ratings for veterans.

Principal Investigator: Kristina Aenlle, PhD, Nova Southeastern University

For more information, please contact us at 954-262-2870 or email GWICTIC@nova.edu.

Principal Investigator: Kristina Aenlle, PhD, Nova Southeastern University

For more information, please contact us at 954-262-2870 or email GWICTIC@nova.edu.

Principal Investigator: Kristina Aenlle, PhD, Nova Southeastern University

For more information, please contact us at 954-262-2870 or email GWICTIC@nova.edu.

Principal Investigator: Nancy Klimas, MD,Miami VA Healthcare System

Visit ClinicalTrials.gov for study record details.

This is a systematic assessment and characterization of the therapeutic effects of drugs that impact a specific list of therapeutic targets which is based on prior research. This study is located at Miami VA Medical Center. We are recruiting Veterans with Gulf War illness and Gulf War era healthy controls.

Visit NIH Reporter for study record details.

In this study, we are using microarray, a technique which measures expression levels of large numbers of genes, to help better understand and identify the likely causes of Gulf War illness. This method allows researchers to study different genes that affect how the body reacts to rest and exercise and how these differences affect the immune system, endocrine system and brain. Location: Miami VA Medical Center & University of Miami. We are recruiting male and female Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm veterans located in the Miami-Dade and Broward County areas.

Visit NIH Reporter for study record details.