Gulf War Illness Clinical Trials & Interventions Consortium
The Gulf War Illness Clinical Trials and Interventions Center (GWICTIC) is a collaborative research group promoting an innovative, efficient and evidence-based process to perform clinical trials in Veterans with Gulf War illness. We strive to develop effective treatments to improve the outcome and quality of life for Veterans with Environmental Exposure conditions related to deployment in Operation Desert Storm/Desert Shield.
Who We Are
The GWICTIC includes a collaborative network of respected investigators and clinical sites to support participant recruitment, as well as, expert central cores with responsibility for the consortium’s administrative, data management, and biostatistical activities; biorepository and biomarker evaluation; and computational modeling support.
About Us
The Gulf War Illness Clinical Trials and Interventions Center (GWICTIC) will focus 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. This ensures expertise, dedication, and subject access for the studies we propose.
The studies will 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 four years, Dr. Klimas and her research team, as well as, Dr. Sullivan and her research team, through their respective consortia, have identified biomarkers of disease activity including, but not limited to, mitochondrial dysfunction, chronic oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation. Both 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 in an effort to reset homeostasis and/or correct the brain environment that leads to multi-symptom illness.
View the full GWICTIC Brochure
GWICTIC In The Community
Meet Our Team
The GWICTIC team at NSU brings together a dedicated group of researchers focused on Gulf War Illness. Led by Dr. Nancy Klimas, the team combines extensive experience in neuro-immunology, clinical trials, and program management to advance understanding and treatment for veterans suffering from this complex illness.
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.
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.
Rebecca McNeil, Ph.D.
Co-Principal Investigator, Director for Study Management & Biostatics Core
Dr. McNeil has directly managed the full lifecycle of epidemiologic and interventional research studies in academic and federal settings for more than 10 years. She served in the VA’s Cooperative Studies Program as lead biostatistician for the VA Gulf War Era Cohort and Biorepository and was awarded a VA HSR&D grant to explore the current disease burdens and healthcare utilization of Gulf War I era Veterans. She also provided technical and managerial leadership to the Computational Sciences Core of the Durham, NC VA Cooperative Studies Program Epidemiology Center for 7 years.
Travis Craddock, Ph.D.
Computational Modeling Core
The Computational Modeling Core will be co-directed by Dr. Craddock, along with Dr. Broderick. The Core will integrate the computational modeling resources of the NSU INIM for ascertainment of study outcomes and identification of additional therapeutic target and interventions.
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.
Rebecca McNeil, Ph.D.
Study Management and Biostatics Core
The Study Management Biostatics Core, based at RTI International and directed by Dr. Rebecca McNeil, will provide administrative and logistical support, including study management and monitoring, regulatory support, clinical informatics and data management, clinical trial design, and biostatistical analysis.
Kimberly Sullivan, Ph.D.
Neuroscience Core
Dr. Sullivan has expertise in evaluation of neurocognitive domains, neuroimaging, and quality control of multisite neurocognitive and imaging assessment platforms. She will work with the site investigators, SMAB, and modeling team to develop, quality control, and analyze objective markers of neurocognition and neuroinflammation.
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.
Drew Helmer, M.D.
East Orange NJ
Dr. Helmer, Director of the War Related Illness and Injury Study Center (WRIISC), conducts research, education and clinical activities to promote health, quality of life and function in deployed Veterans, especially those with chronic multi-symptom illness. Dr. Helmer and his research team have extensive clinical trial experience, serving as PIs for various multi-institutional clinical trials focusing on GWI.
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.
Kimberly Sullivan, Ph.D.
Boston University
Dr. Sullivan's experience was previously described as the Neuroscience Core Director. With her colleagues at the Boston VA she has a strong track record of recruitment, logistically difficult studies incorporating imaging and comprehensive neurocognitive and multi-domain assessment.
War Related Illness and Injury Study Centers (WRIISC) are regional centers of excellence promoting research and providing expert clinical care, and have extensive access to potential research study participants through their regional clinical consultation program. Site investigators: Drew Helmer, M.D., Wes Ashford, M.D., Ph.D.; and Peter Rumm M.D. Associate Director of the VA Office of Public Health.
Jimmy Arocho
Patient Advocacy Committee, Chair
Jimmy Arocho has served on the NSU GWIC executive committee for the past three years, and is an enthusiastic asset to our research program. He speaks nationally on the research program, assists in recruitment, and advocates within the regional VA, as well as, national Veterans’ organizations promoting the research program. As a retired master sergeant, he is a highly effective communicator, and has been an integral member of research leadership for the last three years.
Marylyn Harris
Patient Advocate
Marylyn Harris is a Gulf War Veteran with a strong background in both business and medicine. She serves on the Veteran Affairs Gulf War illness Research Advisory Committee, where she shares her wealth of practical knowledge with the research committee. She has been a resource to investigators brainstorming ways to reach out to Veterans of GWI, particularly women veterans as they recruit research studies.
Todd Anthony Langeland
Patient Advocate
Harvey L. Marshall, Jr.
Patient Advocate
Denise Nichols, R.N.
Patient Advocate
Denise Nichols is a Gulf War Veteran and an outspoken advocate for Veterans suffering from Gulf War illness. She works with several advocacy organizations, and maintains a blog outreached to Veterans.