1. As the largest outbreak of Ebola in history — still ongoing inWest
Africa with nearly 16,000 cases and more than 5,000 deaths as
of the end of November — captivated the world’s attention and
brought questions of viral preparedness to the forefront of
international discourse, GVN has taken a leadership role as an
authoritative source of information, an advocate for medical
virology research, and a bridge to facilitate collaborations
between top researchers.
Specifically, GVN has focused its efforts around four key areas:
n Authoritative Information – GVN has served as a key source of
information about Ebola Virus Disease, linking the world’s leading
virus researchers with journalists, business leaders, policy makers,
and the general public. GVN organized webinars with top Ebola
experts for journalists and business leaders, provided background
and interviews for reporters, and published a series of articles on its
website and other forums answering pressing questions.
n Expert Opinions – GVN scientists provided straight talk and mea-
sured opinions about when Ebola candidate vaccines and therapeutics
might be widely available, and what obstacles need to be surmounted
in order to do so. One key challenge for the future is to ensure that
all nations have sufficient scientific expertise in order to identify
and address future outbreaks at the local level, and in partnership
with health agencies and scientific colleagues globally.
n Advocacy – GVN called for additional financial resources to
expand medical virology worldwide. This included training of
tomorrow’s medical virology leaders as part of a stronger global
safety net against emerging viral threats.
n Research – GVN is working to help Ebola researchers in the net-
work to identify and access funds to support teams, travel, small
GVN BUSINESS LEADERSHIP
COUNCIL FOUNDERS MEETING
NOVEMBER 19, 2014
On November 19, 2014, GVN officially launched
its Business Leadership Council at the first
meeting of the group’s founding members in
Baltimore, Maryland. The
Business Leadership
Council (BLC) is a unique
new program that links the
private sector with the
world’s leading virus
researchers, creating a plat-
form for information
exchange and partnerships
to strengthen international
viral preparedness and
response. In addition to
being an innovative
approach to private sector
engagement that will be
mutually beneficial to both
member companies and GVN, the program also
furthers GVN’s mission of
strengthening research
and response to viral
causes of human disease.
BLC founding members
include FedEx, PhRMA,
global technology compa-
nies UST Global and CTIS, and biotech firms
PathSensors, CTD Holdings, and Profectus
Biosciences.
ews Fall/Winter 2014
Volume 4,Issue 2
GVN Responds to Ebola Crisis,
Prepares for Future
The Ebola Virus
continued on p.2
continued on p.4
BLC Co-Chair Bipin Thomas
from UST Global addresses
the BLC Launch Reception
Dr. Jeffrey Tate of CTD Holdings, Dr. Andrew Flannery from
PathSensors, Dr. Gallo, and Hope Williams, Special Assistant to
Congressman Elijah Cummings at the reception

2. 2 GVN VIRIONews
grants, and equipment. Much work remains to be done
by Ebola scientists to expand understanding of host-virus
interactions and development and testing of vaccines,
drugs, and diagnostics.
GVN researchers working on Ebola include:
n Stephan Becker, Ph.D., Institute for Virology, Philipps
University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
Dr. Becker’s laboratory research is focused on understand-
ing how the Ebola virus replicates, assembles in infected
cells, and causes severe,often fatal, bleeding and hemor-
rhagic fever in humans.
n Janusz Paweska, DVM, National Institute for
Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa
Dr. Paweska leads the emerging and zoonotic diseases
unit at NICD and his research focuses on the diagnostics
of highly pathogenic diseases such as Ebola and Marburg
as well as the origins and spread of the Ebola virus
through its suspected vector, bats.
n Erica Ollmann Saphire, Ph.D., The Scripps Research
Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
The Saphire lab works to understand the structural biol­
ogy of hemorrhagic fever viruses like Ebola in an effort to
map out how these viruses attach and replicate within
the human body to further the development of anti-viral
treatments and vac­cines.
n Thomas W Geisbert, Ph.D., University of Texas Medical
Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas, USA
The Geisbert lab focuses on three areas: a man-made
antibody treatment; a promising Canadian drug from
Tekmira Pharmaceuticals shown to protect monkeys from
Ebola; and a vaccine that can be used both to prevent
infection and also to treat it.
n Alan Schmaljohn, Ph.D., Institute of Human Virology
at the University of Maryland School of Medicine Affiliate
Member,Baltimore,Maryland,USA
In early stages of Ebola vaccine development, Dr.
Schmaljohn led efforts that identified the viral compo-
nents necessary and sufficient for inclusion in modern
filovirus vaccines, with findings published in a series of
papers beginning in 1997.
n Alexander Bukreyev, Ph.D., UTMB-Galveston National
Labs, Galveston, Texas, USA
Dr. Bukreyev’s group focuses on development of vaccines,
antibody treatments and small molecule treatments
against Ebola and Marburg and on investigation of the
mechanisms of their high pathogenicity.
GVN President’s
Pen
From the
Dear GVN Friends and Colleagues,
The past year has shown why the Global Virus Network—
a scientist-driven, global coalition of virologists—is so
important. The havoc and suffering caused by the Ebola
outbreak in West Africa and Chikungunya epidemic in
the Americas are prime examples. GVN researchers are
racing to develop drugs and vaccines to treat and pre-
vent infection to give public health officials vital tools to
control these viruses’ spread. In this issue, we discuss
how GVN is connecting scientists from around the
globe to share research, lessons learned and create clini-
cal networks to expedite drug and vaccine development.
GVN has also worked to provide authoritative informa-
tion to a variety of audiences objectively and with no
political overlay. We are proud of our contributions so
far and for what we plan to do over the coming months.
Ebola and Chikungunya are just two viruses on our
radar screen; GVN’s network of global experts covers all
human viral disease. We work in partnership with many,
including governments, WHO, private companies and
foundations. In this issue, we report on the launch of the
GVN Business Leadership Council, an exciting new
program to engage companies concerned about pan-
demic preparedness for the health and safety of their
workforces, supply chains, and communities.
Our all-hands-on-deck approach to tackling viruses is
more critical than ever. You play a vital role in helping
GVN develop and implement life-saving initiatives
against Ebola and other diseases, train tomorrow’s virology
leaders, and fulfil our mission. In this season of giving,
consider how you can support the Global Virus Network. It
is everyone’s obligation to stop
the spread of viral disease. Join
us! Visit gvn.org to learn more.
Thank you for your support.
We wish you a healthy and
happy 2015!
Sincerely,
Sharon H. Hrynkow, Ph.D. Dr. Sharon Hrynkow,
President, GVN
shrynkow@gvn.org
GVN Responds to Ebola Crisis
from p.1

3. 3GVN VIRIONews
SECOND SCANDINAVIAN-BALTIC
MEETING PLANNED: June 2015
HIV, enteroviruses and Chikungunya — these are some
of the topics to be discussed at the 2nd GVN
Scandinavian-Baltic Conference on Emerging Viral Threats
June 8-10, 2015. This meeting will build on the success of
the inaugural meeting last year in Estonia,which brought
together researchers from Ukraine and a number of Baltic
and Scandinavian countries for several days of scientific
presentations and spirited
discussions on viral threats
in the region. That confer-
ence, which was supported
by a grant from the European
Union to the University of
Tartu, was a great success
and strengthening ties
between virology research
centers in the region.
The June 2015 meeting,
organized in cooperation
with the GVN Center of
Excellence at the Karolinska
Institute, will take place at
the Djurönäset Conference
Center, 45 km east of
Stockholm,Sweden.
Organizers expect approxi-
mately 100 participants
from Sweden, Estonia,
Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine,
and the US. The program,
funding and logistics are
still being finalized. The
conference will provide a
unique opportunity for
senior virology leaders to
exchange information and
ideas, and for junior
researchers to interact with
and learn from some of the
world’s most preeminent
virologists. Stay tuned for a
full report in late June.
Dear Friends and
Colleagues,
Over the years, GVN’s
Ebola experts have been
contributing to the
development of vac-
cines, therapeutics, and
diagnostics — all of
which were recently bol-
stered due to the world’s newest and deadliest Ebola
outbreak. While the science has been progressing
steadily — only seemingly stymied by lack of funds —
it is unfortunate that pharmaceutical companies did
not step-up to the plate sooner and pour more funds
into “seeing the science through” resulting in an effec-
tive vaccine. While Ebola does not present a signifi-
cant scientific challenge — development of a vaccine
to this virus is straightforward from a scientific stand-
point — it does highlight the problem of poor public
health infrastructure and limited financial resources
to address viral threats as they emerge.
Our focus on Ebola should be first to shore up sup-
port for public health responses — case detection,
stemming the spread of cases, and caring for infected
individuals. But as Ebola has killed more than 5,000,
it is important to bear in mind that there are
many real, unsolved scientific challenges costing the
lives of millions of people each year. We must not
neglect these scientifically challenging viral threats.
One of these is HIV. The development of an effective
preventive HIV vaccine has proven to be one of the
most vexing challenges faced by the scientific community.
The GVN fosters “outside the box” thinking and
research, the very kind needed to advance science to
address HIV and other global challenges. We hope
you will support the GVN so that researchers around
the globe are no longer stymied by lack of resources,
both financially and creatively.
Sincerely,
Robert C. Gallo, M.D.
Robert C. Gallo, MD,
GVN Scientific Director
Scientific DirectorFrom the GVN
GVN
Regional Meeting
in Estonia Builds
Research Ties,
Partnerships
The first Scandinavian-
Baltic meeting in June
2014 succeeded in
developing connections
among researchers in
the region. Joint activi-
ties in HIV studies, like
bio-banking, are planned
between Estonian,
Latvian and Lithuanian
teams. The conference
also boosted training
programs and interna-
tional exchanges in the
region. There has been a
great deal of activity and
interest among junior
Ukrainian researchers in
receiving virology train-
ing in Estonia and there
are already 3 visiting sci-
entists in Tallinn and
Tartu for 2-3 month peri-
ods. Estonia expects 2-3
additional visitors from
Ukraine in the first half
of 2015 and possibilities
for other Ukrainian
exchanges throughout
Scandinavia are being
explored.

4. 4 GVN VIRIONews
BLC co-chairs Bipin Thomas of UST
Global and Timothy Moynahan, Esq.,
also Chairman of GVN’s Board of
Directors, led the meeting’s discus-
sion to consider the BLC’s structure
and key pro-
grammatic activi-
ties. The BLC
founding mem-
bers were also
joined by GVN
virologists Dr.
Konstantin
Chumakov of
the US Food
and Drug
Administration
and Dr.Matthew
Frieman,an affiliate member of the
Institute of Human Virology at the
UniversityofMarylandSchool
of Medicine for an engag-
ing discussion on a number
of ongoing viral outbreaks
including Chikungunya in
the Americas, Ebola in West
Africa, Enterovirus D68,
MERS, and SARS. This dis-
cussion brought into sharp
contrast the value of the
BLC as a forum for business
leaders to discuss epidemic
threats with top virus
researchers, address questions spe-
cific to the business community,
share best practices in workforce pro-
tection, and shine light on the role of
the private sector in promoting evi-
dence-based approaches to outbreak
preparedness
and response.
GVN President,
Dr. Sharon
Hrynkow, framed
the discussion
with a broad
overview of GVN,
noting the criti-
cal role of the
business com-
munity in advanc-
ing global health.
The Business
Leadership Coun­
cil’s value lies in
GVN’s ability to
link the BLC members to the world’s
top virologists; provide information
and analysis about viral preparedness
tailored to its members’specific needs,
questions, and concerns; and do so in
formats that are useful and actionable.
To this end, BLC founding members
discussed a number of programmatic
activities including monthly assess-
ments of key viral threats, a webinar
series with top GVN virologists, and
development of a curriculum on pri-
vate sector
approaches to
viral prepared-
ness the BLC
could offer at
major business
conferences.
The founding
members also
discussed
approaches to
raise awareness
about the BLC
program and engage new businesses
in order to grow the group’s member-
ship across industries and sectors.
At the conclusion of the meeting,
GVN co-hosted a reception at the
Baltimore World Trade Center with
the World Trade Center Institute and
local business leaders to celebrate
the BLC’s launch. GVN Co-founder
and Scientific Director Dr. Robert
Gallo reflected on the need for a
global safety net against viral disease
that inspired him and “co-founders,
the late Dr.Reinhard Kurth (Germany)
and Dr.William Hall (Ireland) to estab­
lish GVN and how the private sector
plays a key role in this safety net.
University of Maryland, Baltimore
President Dr. Jay Perman also addressed
the group, emphasizing GVN’s critical
role in global health and pledging his
support for the BLC. Representatives
from the offices of Congressman
Elijah Cummings and the Maryland
Department of Business and
Economic Development also
attended the reception and pledged
their help to grow the program.
Over the coming months, the BLC will
continue to build off the momentum
generated by its successful launch
under the leadership of the BLC co-
chairs and BLC Project Director Collin
Weinberger, who can be reached at
cweinberger@gvn.org. The program
will be rapidly rolling out new com-
ponents and expanding its member-
ship as it continues to develop and
promote private sector engagement
around viral epidemic preparedness
and response.
GVN Business Leadership Council from p.1
GlobalUST ®
BLC founding members
GVN President Dr.
Sharon Hrynkow opens
BLC reception
Nina Lamba (right) from the Maryland Dept of
Business and Economic Development talks with
Dr. Andrew Flannery and Dr. Jeanette Simpson
from PathSensors at the reception
Dr. Gallo with
University of Maryland,
Baltimore President Dr.
Jay Perman at the BLC
Launch Reception
Dr. Konstantin
Chumakov of the FDA
at the reception
BLC Co-Chair
and Chairman
of the GVN
Board Timothy
Moynahan

5. 5GVN VIRIONews
GVN Top Virologists
to Meet in China
Beijing, China – May 16-19, 2015
The 2015 GVN closed meeting will bring together the
world’s top medical virologists, Directors of GVN Centers of
Excellence, and GVN staff for two and one half days of ses-
sions to discuss emerging viral threats, ongoing research
programs, and opportunities to build ties across the GVN.
This annual meeting also affords an opportunity for the
GVN team to discuss operational progress and needs.
For the first time,
GVN is opening
up several ses-
sions of its meet-
ing to hear from
founding mem-
bers of the newly
launched GVN
Business
Leadership
Council. The goal
is to create syner-
gies that might
lead to advance-
ment of drugs,
vaccines and
diagnostics for
critical viral
threats.
The meeting is being
hosted by Dr. Yi Zeng of the
China CDC, working in
close partnership with a
range of Chinese institu-
tions comprising the China
GVN. Scientific sessions will
be held at the Beijing
University of Technology,
which will be celebrating
its 55th year.
The 4-star Grand Gongda Jianguo Hotel, adjacent to the
University, will host delegates.
Members of the Scientific Organizing Committee include
co-chairs Yi Zeng and Robert Gallo, as well as Xiaoping
Dong, Mengfeng Li, Qi Jin, Yiming Shao, Hong Shang ,
Xiaoming Yang, Weizhong Yang, Anders Vahlne, Billy Hall,
Reinhard Burger, Giorgio Palù, Umberto Bertazzoni, John
Fazakerley, and Sharon Hrynkow.
For additional information on the meeting, please contact
Robert Karrs at rkarrs@gvn.org.
GVN Calls for Virology Funding,
Identifies Research Priorities in
Testimony to US Senate
Speaking as a voice for the medical virology research
community, GVN submitted written testimony to the
U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations November
12, 2014 hearing,“U.S. Government Response: Fighting
Ebola and Protecting America.”GVN provided an action
plan on strengthening global preparedness against
viral threats to human health.
The testimony was co-authored by leading Ebola
experts and GVN leadership, including GVN
Co-Founder and Scientific Director Dr. Robert C. Gallo,
GVN Senior Advisor Dr. Stanley Plotkin from the
University of Pennsylvania; Center of Excellence
Director and GVN Scientific Leadership Board member
Dr. Diane Griffin from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg
School of Public Health; Center of Excellence
Co-Director Dr. Erica Ollmann Saphire from The Scripps
Research Institute; Affiliate Member Dr. Alan L.
Schmaljohn from the IHV at the University of Maryland
School of Medicine; Chairman of the GVN Board Timothy
C. Moynahan; and GVN President Dr. Sharon H. Hrynkow.
The testimony called for:
n Expanded resources for basic research in order to
answer key questions about the Ebola virus such as the
precise point after infection that marks when a person
can transmit the virus,the survivability of the virus out­
side of the body,and the hallmarks of an effective
immune response.
n Development of rapid diagnostic tests to identify
Ebola infections earlier in the course of disease and dif-
ferentiate it from diseases that present with similar
symptoms. To accomplish this, GVN recommended
expanded support for the Biomedical Advanced
Research and Development Authority (BARDA), as a
critical means to accelerate the development and
deployment of these diagnostics.
n Building on past successes by expanding access to
data from U.S. Government funded research on Ebola
and other pandemic threats.
n Better risk communication to reduce panic, mini-
mize confusion, and better educate the public on how
to protect themselves from disease.
n Expanded training opportunities for medical virol-
ogists and health professionals working to support medi-
cal virology research in low- and mid-income nations.
Grand Gongda Jianguo Hotel (top) and
the Beijing University of Technology

6. Medical Research and Policy; The Difficulty in Developing
an HIV Vaccine; and, among other topics, the origins and
need for the Global Virus Network (GVN).
During his time in India, Dr. Gallo dominated the media,
who were interested in his thoughts on Ebola. Dr. Gallo
said,“The science of Ebola is not difficult and at present,
there are at least 12 vaccines against Ebola, of which
three or four are extremely promising. All it needs is more
money and infrastructure for research.”He reminded his
audiences that HIV proved a far greater scientific chal-
lenge, killing 1.5 million people each year, and that there
remains an urgent need to develop an HIV preventive
vaccine for the world.
Dr. Gallo also met with top government officials, including
Kerala’s Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who presented
Dr. Gallo IMA’s Medicine Millennium International Award
during the IMA Conference. In a private meeting with Drs.
Gallo and Pillai, Mr. Chandy
was optimistic about forg-
ing public-private partner-
ships in India to strengthen
India’s medical virology
programs as well as to
ignite a greater, leading
role in the GVN.
Kerala is a region rich with
an impressive number of
medical educational insti-
tutions which can – and
should –take a global lead in the fight
against viral epidemics. Second only
to China in the world in its growing
population of 1.2 billion people, India
eagerly supports GVN and recognizes
the country’s vulnerabilities to viral
outbreaks. The GVN looks forward to
strengthening its ties with India’s top
medical virologists and
positioning the country to
take a global, leading role
in furthering GVN’s mis-
sion.
Dr. GalloTravels to India
and Strengthens GVNTies
In November, GVN Co-Founder and Scientific
Director Dr. Robert Gallo was invited by the
Indian Medical Association (IMA) to participate
in its 57th state conference of IMA Kerala in
Trivandrum. The conference focused on the
recent Ebola outbreak with a goal of develop-
ing training and awareness programs for IMA
Members to tackle outbreaks of various viral
diseases. The IMA program is envisaged to help
medical fraternity in the state, to stay updated
on the emerging and re-emerging
viral diseases, and to equip health
officials to face emergencies.
Following the IMA conference, Dr.
Gallo traveled to Kochi, where he
gave a presentation at Aster
Medcity’s conference on“New
Horizons in Cancer Care.”Aster
Medcity, led by Dr. Azad Moopen, is
one of South Asia’s most advanced
quaternary care medical centers and
was founded to explore newer horizons and improving
cancer management and care in India. Dr. Gallo was
accompanied throughout the trip by Dr. M.V. Pillai, who is
Senior Medical Oncologist at Thomas Jefferson University
and advises major medical organizations and the govern-
ment in India. Both Dr. Moopen and Dr. Pillai are expected
to play major roles in GVN going forward.
Over the course of a few days, Dr. Gallo presented five lec-
tures on a variety of topics including, Viruses,
Cancer, and Epidemics; HIV & AIDS: The Story of
the Basic Science Advances and their Impact on
From top: Dr. Gallo with Dr. M.V. Pillai;
Dr. Gallo receives the IMA Medicine
Millennium International Award; An
audience in Kerala listens to Dr. Gallo
lecture; Dr. Robert Gallo with Chief
Minister Oommen Chandy at his
residence in Thiruvananthapuram.—
Photo: S. Mahinsha; Dr. Gallo meets
India’s next generation of medical
virologists
6 GVN VIRIONews

7. 7GVN VIRIONews
Since 2004, the mosquito-borne Chikungunya virus has
re-emerged and spread from Africa to Asia, and Europe.
Millions of people have been afflicted with severe, debili-
tating, and often chronic arthralgia (joint pain) due to the
virus. In late 2013, Chikungunya emerged in the Americas
for the first time and—facing an immunologically naive
population and a thus far ineffective public health
response—has since spread rapidly throughout the region.
As of November 21, 2014, the Pan American Health Organi­
zation has reported a total of 964,341 suspected or con-
firmed cases in the Americas and Caribbean since the
outbreak began. This total includes 914,960 suspected and
15,906 confirmed locally acquired cases, as well as 2,236
imported cases. The US reported 1,839 new imported
Chikungunya cases. As of November 14, 2014, PAHO esti-
mated the death toll from the virus to be 150 in the Americas.
GVN, through its Task Force on Chikungunya, sponsored
a special session at the annual meeting of the American
Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) in New
Orleans to take stock of lessons learned on Chikungunya
from around the world. The symposium was co-sponsored
by the American Committee on Arthropod-borne Diseases.
The world’s leading Chikungunya experts, most of them
affiliated with GVN, reviewed the evolution and status of
the virus’outbreaks, recent findings on clinical and molec-
ular pathogenesis, diagnostics, vaccine and therapeutic
development, and models of transmission and spread.
GVNTask Force Co-Chairs ScottWeaver (UTMB), Marc Lecuit
(Institut Pasteur), and John Fazakerley (Pirbright Institute,
UK), along with Task Force Members Lisa Ng (Singapore
Immunology Network) and Simon Cauchemez (Institut
Pasteur) presented data during the symposium. Dr.
Edward McSweegan, Coordinator of the Task Force on
Chikungunya, opened the session, noting GVN’s emphasis
on addressing Chikungunya by promoting public-private
partnerships and building a global community of experts.
While much is known about the virus, Task Force Co-Chair
Dr. Scott Weaver noted that Chikungunya had often
escaped earlier detection by hiding under the umbrellas
of dengue and malaria—two tropical diseases whose
symptoms are easily confused with those of
Chikungunya. Much of that confusion can be blamed on
a lack of good diagnostics. GVN researchers, CDC scien-
tists, and commercial entities are working hard to
develop new, rapid, point-of-care diagnostic assays.
Although the virus itself is rarely fatal, it appears to accel-
erate death in people with underlying illnesses. For
example, all 250 people who died during the 2005 out-
break on Reunion Island near Madagascar had underlying
diseases that made them especially vulnerable. GVN Task
Force Co-Chair Marc Lecuit explained that despite the low
mortality, Chikungunya infections as“highly incapacitat-
ing,”usually resulting in serious, long-term pain and
arthritis, or as Dr. Lecuit described it,“episodic relapses
and recovery periods.”No one knows why this is so, but
the consensus at the symposium was that more research
is needed to better understand what the virus is doing in
human joints, and how it progresses from acute to
chronic illness.
In order to protect patients and better understand the
virus’capacity to cause disease, GVN Task Force members,
including Lecuit and Matthew Frieman (affiliated with
GVN Center of Excellence at the Institute of Human
Virology, University of Maryland) are screening FDA-
approved drugs for anti-viral properties that might be
effective against Chikungunya. Dr. Weaver also reported
on the development of a potential vaccine, a live but
genetically weakened Chikungunya virus that has been
found to produce a protective immune response in early
studies. He is working now to conduct a Phase I safety
trial of this candidate vaccine.
The symposium also reported on the work of colleagues
in France who are exploring the use of“passive immuno-
therapy”on three islands in the Caribbean. They hope to
use human antibodies purified from blood plasma taken
from Chikungunya-convalescent donors to treat 40 neo-
nates at high risk of a severe form of Chikungunya infec-
tion. This is similar to what officials have tried with Ebola
in the U.S. and West Africa, collecting plasma antibodies
from recovered Ebola patients to boost the immune
response of patients currently battling the disease.
GVN Chikungynya Experts: Left to right,
Weaver, Fazakerley, Lecuit, Ng, Cauchemez
GVN Leads Global Expert Review on Chikungunya Virus Spread
New Orleans, LA, USA, November 2014

8. 8 GVN VIRIONews
Sixteen of tomorrow’s medical virology leaders represent-
ing 11 nations, including Nigeria, Italy, Estonia, the United
States, Japan, Cameroon, Uganda, Colombia and
Germany, convened in Baltimore as part of the first GVN
intensive Short Course in Medical Virology, July 2014. The
course serves one of GVN’s core goals — to promote
medical virology and to ensure that young investigators
in the field receive first-class training and broad opportu-
nities to engage with collaborators around the world.
The pilot took advantage
of scientific expertise at
two GVN Centers of
Excellence in Baltimore, the
Institute of Human Virology
of the University of
Maryland School of
Medicine and Johns
Hopkins University, GVN
Center Directors on the
East Coast, leaders in
Washington, D.C. and at
the National Institutes of
Health. . It was a who’s who
in medical virology: Drs.
Robert Gallo, Diane Griffin, Peter Palese, Ab Osterhaus,
Konstantin Chumakov, and Barry Beaty, to name just
some of the twenty world-class lecturers and medical
virology guides.
“We also took advantage of our prox-
imity to Washington DC and to the
National Institutes of Health to bolster
this course,”said Dr. Sharon Hrynkow,
GVN President.“To complement the
intensive lectures on a range of viral
threats, we also wanted to shed light
on policymaking aspects on emerg-
ing infectious diseases and on prior-
ity setting at the world’s largest
medical research agency,”she added.
The course participants
met with officials at the
White House Office of
Science and Technology
Policy, Dr. Andrew
Hebbeler and Mr. Kei
Koizumi, and then with Dr.
Roger Glass, Director at the
NIH Fogarty International
Center. They also met with
Dr. Cathy Laughlin of NIH’s
National Institute of Allergy
and Infectious Diseases,
and other NIAID officials to
hear international priorities
and current funding
opportunities.
In addition, two biotech-
nology firms presented to
the group to provide practical insights on commercializa-
tion of advances made in
the laboratory.
PathSensors, Inc. and
Fyodor Biotechnologies
GlobalVirus Network
Launches Short Course In
MedicalVirology
Ongoing collaborations
were one of the primary
benefits that organizers
hoped would come from
the course. PathSensors,
Inc., a BioPark tenant and
neighbor of GVN, gave a
brief presentation on their
patented technology
which provides rapid,
mobile bio-detection of
dangerous pathogens.
GVN thanks its sponsors for support of the pilot course:
I’m writing (this)
to show you the
immediate fruits
of sharing ideas,
knowledge and
technology in the
GVN course. I hope
we’ll succeed to
go further with
the PathSensors
technology,
associating our
ideas and clinical
experience.”
—Dr. Roee Dvir
“
GVN Reinhard Kurth Scholars (L-R)
Timothy Quinn Crawford, Ph.D.,
Colorado State University, Fort Collins,
Colorado, USA
Livia Schünadel, Ph.D., Robert Koch
Institute, Berlin, Germany
Julian Ruiz Saenz, Ph.D., Universidad
Cooperativa de Colombia,
Bucaramanga, Colombia

9. 9GVN VIRIONews
GVN Chikungunya
Task Force Co-Chair
receivesWalter Reed Medal
Dr. Scott Weaver, Director at the
Institute for Human Infections and
Immunity and Scientific Director of
the Galveston National Laboratory at
the University of Texas Medical
Branch in Galveston, is the 2014
recipient of the Walter Reed Medal.
Dr. Weaver is an expert on arbovi-
ruses, mosquitoes, and vaccines, and
is one of the co-chairs of GVN Task
Force on Chikungunya virus.
Chikungunya virus is a mosquito-borne virus that origi-
nated in East Africa. In late 2013, the virus emerged in the
eastern Caribbean and began hopping from island to
island, and then into Central and South America. Tourists
have carried the infection back to the U.S. As of October
31, 2014, local transmission of Chikungunya has been
reported in 37 countries in the Caribbean, Central, South,
and North America. A total of 964,341 cases have been
reported in these areas since December 2013.
The Walter Reed
Medal is pre-
sented by the
American Society
for Tropical
Medicine &
Hygiene (ASTMH)
every three years
to recognize dis-
tinguished
accomplishments
in the field of
tropical medicine.
The first award was made to Mrs. Walter Reed and to the
Rockefeller Foundation in 1936. In 1942 the award was
made posthumously to Carlos J. Finlay—a Cuban colleague
of Walter Reed—who is credited with the idea that yellow
fever was transmitted by mosquitoes.
The Medal was presented to Dr. Weaver by Dr. David
Walker, also at the University of Texas Medical Branch, on
November 2, 2014 at the ASTMH Awards Ceremony.
Corp. offered information on intellectual property, financ-
ing and other commercial aspects.
Among the sixteen participants were three GVN Reinhard
Kurth Scholars, named in memory of GVN’s Co-Founder,
Professor Reinhard Kurth, and supported through a spe-
cial fund honoring Dr. Kurth’s memory. Dr. Robert Gallo,
GVN’s Co- Founder and Scientific Director, said,“The
potential of these Scholars to make advances in medical
virology is clear.They are a fitting tribute to the memory of
Dr. Kurth, whose passion for teaching and for training
virologists needed to keep us safe in the future colored all
that he did.”
The participants were uniformly positive and enthusiastic
about the benefits of the course on their career progres-
sion. One participant remarked that,“I have read books
by these virologists. I have read their papers. And now, I
have the chance to talk to them and for them to respond
to my questions. It is almost overwhelming.”
Plans are already underway to convene a Second Short
Course in Baltimore in July 2015 and to adapt the curricu-
lum so that the course may be held in other nations. GVN
has grant applications submitted to various agencies to
support these efforts.
Since the conclusion of the course, Dr. Roee Dvir, one of
the participants, has held a teleconference with
PathSensors leadership and, along with some of his col-
leagues at San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, plan to visit
Baltimore in January 2015.
(L) GVN Short Course
participants after
returning from a full day
in Washington visiting
the White House- OSTP
and the NIH campus.
(R) Dr. Barry Beaty
speaks with participants
during the course review
and wrap-up.
Dr. Robert Gallo shares
memories of his career
in medical virology with
attendees in his office.

10. 10 GVN VIRIONews
This global team,which also included colleagues from
Hokkaido University in Japan and the University of Zambia,
examined bats collected in Zambia and identified the
novel nairovirus.When injected into mice,they found that
the virus caused lethal disease similar to Crimean-Congo
Hemorrhagic Fever,which causes hemorrhagic disease
and death.The researchers named the new virus the
Leopards Hill Virus (LPHV).
Dr.Hall and his collaborators are now working to under­
stand how infection with this virus leads to hemorrhagic
fever and death.Clues from this work may shed light on
how other hem­
orrhagic fever
viruses,including
Ebola,damage
cells and cause
disease.
GVN Co-Founder and Center of Excellence
Director Dr. William Hall Leads the Study
In a study just published in Nature
Communications* GVN Co-Founder
and GVN Center of Excellence
Director at University College Dublin
Dr.William Hall,MD,PhD and
Associate Director of the GVN Center
of Excellence at the Hokkaido
University Research Center for
Zoonosis Control Dr.Hirofumi Sawa,
MD,PhD report on the identification
of a new virus found in Zambian bats.
The virus is a single-stranded RNA
virus in the bunyavirus family:these
viruses are normally transmitted to
humans and other animals by ticks.Unknown pathogens
that circulate among wild animals often are sources of
emerging infectious diseases in humans.In recent years
bats have been shown to serve as important reservoirs of
dangerous viruses including Marburg,Hendra,Nipah,
rabies and possibly Ebola.
GVN Research Advance
GlobalTeam Identifies NovelVirus that Causes
Hemorrhagic Fever and Death in a Mouse Model
GVN Co-Founder
Dr. William Hall
A Nairovirus, the
Crimean Congo
Hemoragic Fever Virus,
similar to the recently
discovered Leopards Hill
Virus (LPHV)
December 9 Annual GVN Fundraising Event Café Milano,Washington,DC
December 2014 Launch of the GVN Post-Doctoral Fellowship Program
Beginning January 2015 GVN Monthly Business Leadership Council Webinars:
Focus on Different Emerging Viral Threat every month
May 15-19,2015 GVN annual meeting with Center Directors Beijing,China
June 2015 Emerging Viral Threats: What Business Leaders Should Know
(inaugural conference held under the auspices of the
GVN Business Leadership Council)
June 8 – 10,2015 GVN 2nd regional meeting,Scandinavia and Baltics Stockholm,Sweden
July 2015 2nd Annual GVN Short Course for Emerging Baltimore,MD
Leaders in Medical Virology,one week
July 2015 Donor Appreciation Event
Upcoming GVN Events & Happenings
*A nairovirus isolated from African bats causes haemorrhagic gastroenteritis and severe hepatic disease in mice.Akihiro Ishii1,Keisuke Ueno,Yasuko Orba,Michihito
Sasaki,Ladslav Moonga,Bernard M.Hang’ombe,Aaron S.Mweene,Takashi Umemura,Kimihito Ito,William W.Hall & Hirofumi Sawa.2 Dec 2014.

11. 11GVN VIRIONews
at the Abu Dhabi Health
Authority,Dr.Farida Ismail
Al Hosany;SEHA; the Dubai
Health Authority,led by
H.E.Engineer Essa Al Haj Al
Maidoor; and the Dubai
Medical College for Girls.
One issue of common
interest across meetings
was the Global Health
Security Agenda,announced
by President Obama in
September as a means to bring nations together to fight
viral threats,including those that may be weaponized.
The UAE participates in the Global Health Security Agenda,
as does the United States and 14 of the 44 nations that
participate in the Global Health Security Agenda are rep­
resented in the Global Virus Network. GVN and public
health leaders in Sharjah,Dubai and Abu Dhabi are explor­
ing collaborations on biosecurity and other priority
themes within the Global Health Security Agenda.
At the invitation of the American Chamber of Commerce in
Abu Dhabi,Dr.Hrynkow presented on GVN to 15 companies,
several of which expressed interest in GVN’s Business
Leadership Council. Additional meetings with Sheikh
Ahmed Al Badi and with U.S.Ambassador to the UAE Michael
Corbin provided context,insights,and new friends for GVN.
ForgingTies in the
United Arab Emirates
GVN President Dr.Sharon Hrynkow visited the United
Arab Emirates in October to explore potential collabora­
tions with partners in the Sharjah,Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
She met with a range of academic leaders,public health
officials and private sector partners. “If we look at where
GVN has Centers of Excellence or Affiliates globally,there
is a clear gap in the Arab world,”Hrynkow said. “This trip
was to help identify UAE collaborators for GVN who
would work with us on common goals and with a com­
mon purpose,
safeguarding
people from viral
threats,”she
added.
The visit focused
on the Emirate of
Sharjah,where
Dr.Hrynkow was
honored to meet
with Sheikh Saqer Al Qassimi and to
have the opportunity to share infor­
mation with him on the Global Virus
Network. Sheikh Saqer Al Qassimi
then welcomed Dr.Hrynkow to the
University of Sharjah for a day-long
series of meeting and tours of laboratory and training
facilities and where she gave a major lecture to faculty
and students. At the end of the visit to the University of
Sharjah,proposals were on the table for joint collabora­
tions in training and exchanges of senior and junior pro­
fessionals,all of them now being pursued with the hope
of creating a formal collaboration. A final meeting at the
Sharjah Investment and Development Authority shed
light on additional ways to advance joint activities.
In Abu Dhabi and Dubai,key introductory and informa­
tional meetings were held with senior officials,including
Dr. Sharon Lewin to Head GVN in Australia
In August, HIV/AIDS researcher, Dr. Sharon Lewin was named as the inaugural Director of the Peter
Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity at the University of Melbourne. Professor Lewin was
the co-chair of the International AIDS Conference AIDS2014 held in Melbourne in July and was
just recently named as Melburnian of the Year by Lord Mayor Robert Doyle. The Doherty Institute
brings together the University of Melbourne’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology,
Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, the Nossal Institute, Victorian Nosocomial
Infection Surveillance System (VICNISS), Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL)
Victorian Infectious Diseases Service (VIDS) and the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and
Research on Influenza. Dr. Lewin takes over from University of Melbourne Deputy Vice-Chancellor
for Research, Professor James McCluskey, who has led GVN activities in Australia since the
Network’s establishment in 2011.
Audience at
U. Sharjah GVN
presentation
Sheikh Saqer Al Qassimi
(center) and Dr. Hrynkow
visit research lab at
U. Sharjah. Dr. Nihar
Dash (left), College
of Health Sciences
discusses challenges and
opportunities.
First year medical students at the
Dubai Medical College for Girls

12. 12 GVN VIRIONews
Join this young and growing organization,
and consider making a tax-deductible gift before
year-end. The GVN is composed of 30 Centers of
Excellence throughout the world. Your gift will help
us expand our global network of medical virus
researchers and research centers that is absolutely
essential to mounting an unparalleled, collaborative
response to future viral threats in a world in which
rapidly mutating viruses can be transmitted across
continents within hours. Within just two short years,
GVN has produced a significant impact on the
threat of viral diseases by supporting graduate-level
training, short-term exchange programs, public
education, and advocacy. Your support today will
help build our organization and our critical programs
to safeguard the health of the global community.
Please point your browser to www.gvn.org and
click the Donate button at the top of the page
or send your gift to:
Global Virus Network
801 W. Baltimore Street, Suite 519
Baltimore, MD 21201
All gifts will be acknowledged
in our annual report and in our Newsletter.
Thank you for
your support!
VirionContributors and Editors
Nora Grannell,GVN Director of Public Relations
Robert C.Karrs,GVN Program Director
Edward McSweegan,PhD,GVN Program Director and
Task Force Coordinator on Chikungunya and Ebola
Janucz Paweska,PhD,GVN Center of Excellence
Director and Head of Center for Emerging and
Zoonotic Diseases National Institute for Communicable
Diseases,South Africa
Maria Salvato,PhD,Executive Secretary of GVN
Scientific Leadership Board and Professor of
Microbiology and Immunology at the University of
Maryland School of Medicine
Virion Guest Editor: Collin Weinberger,MPH,GVN
Project Director
Send news items for futureVirion issues to:
Nora Grannell,
Director of Public Relations & Marketing
ngrannell@gvn.org
Errata
On page 9 of the previous issue of Virion,a photo was
mislabeled as Dr.Cal Macherson,Vice President and
Director of WINDREF.The photo was actually of Dr.
Donald Jungkind,Chair of the Microbiology Dept.and
Professor,Director of Clinical Microbiology Lab.at St.
George’s Univ.Medical School.
Please Support GVN