PROGRAMS

The Asia-Pacific Institute consists of the following centers and core programs.

Pacific Center for AIDS Research focuses on clinical trials to evaluate new drugs and vaccines, with laboratory and field research in Hawaii and Thailand.
( Director, Dr. Cecilia Shikuma)

Pacific Center for Emerging Infectious Disease Research involves basic laboratory research in Hawaii combined with field epidemiologic research in Vietnam and Thailand, initially, and in other countries in the future.
(Director, Dr. Richard Yanagihara)

Asia-Pacific Center for Infectious Disease Ecology focuses on disease ecology, and integrative research addressing the interactions between social and ecological factors, including the relationship of anthropogenic environmental change, climate variability, and other environmental as well as human factors influencing pathogen transmission and evolution.
(Director, Dr. Bruce Wilcox)

Asia-Pacific Center for Biosecurity, Disaster and Conflict Research focuses on partnering with the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, the Hawaii Department of Health, and other agencies to develop laboratory and field research on bioterrorism, disaster management and related topics.
(Director, Dr. Frederick Burkle )

Asia-Pacific Center for Public Health and Population Research conducts and promotes interdisciplinary public health research in Hawai'i and throughout the Asia-Pacific region, promote excellence in education and research in Hawai'i and throughout the Asia-Pacific region for individuals and affiliated academic centers engaged in the study and research of public health and population studies, and engage in public health education, training, workforce development, and service partnerships with national and international governmental, non-governmental agencies and organizations, corporations, and non-profit public and private entities in Hawai'i and throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
(Director, Dr. Jay Maddock)

Asia-Pacific Center for Translational Research focuses on providing platforms in Asian-Pacific countries where new diagnostic and other technologies can be evaluated, and where vaccines and drugs, as well as trials of other therapeutic and prevention modalities can be conducted.
(Director, TBA)

Each of these centers has a unique mission, but each also has cross-cutting programs that involves staff from the other centers.


APITMID Research Core
Director, Dr. Jimmy Thomas Efird
Associate Director, Dr. Pollie Bith-Melander

Medical Statistics and Infectious Diseases Modeling Unit (RCMI) provides assistance to APITMID researchers in 1) study development and implementation (e.g., research design, protocol development, sample size and power calculations, questionnaire construction, randomization, organization of data safety and monitoring boards), 2) statistical analysis (e.g., basic inferential statistics, multivariate analysis, binary and Poisson regression models, time-to-event models, non-parametric methods, group sequential boundary points, permutation based micro-array analysis), and 3) infectious diseases modeling (e.g., disease transmission models, vaccine efficacy models, vector control models).
(Head, Dr. Jimmy Thomas Efird)

Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Unit (COBRE) supports molecular genetic and bioinformatics research on microbial disease agents, with services from primer design, to phylogenetic analysis (e.g., migration, selection, and recombination) and protein structural prediction. Analyses also include quantitative genetics modeling (e.g., linkage analysis, segregation analysis, identity-by-descent, additive polygenic models, linkage disequilibrium, and haplotype phase prediction and inference).
(Head, Dr. Shannon Bennett)

Applications Programming and Systems Development Unit provides systems programming, database design/management and computerized graphics services to APITMID researchers including development of computerized data entry screens, programming of cross-validated fields, edit checks, SAS programming, software installation and customized systems development.
(Manager, Kavitha Alimineti)

Medical Anthropology and Outcomes Evaluation Unit provides advice to APITMID staff in the cultural and ethnographic aspects of research study design and health outcomes evaluation.
(Head, Dr. Heather Young Leslie)

Applied Evolutionary Ecology and Population Genetics Unit models the complex interactions between organismal phenotype, ecology and genetics results in the evolution of emerging infectious diseases, invasive species and tropical biodiversity.
(Head, Dr. Durrell Kapan )

Imaging and Multimedia Science Unit provides imaging and multimedia database for the future education and technology.
(Head, Chieko Kimata )

APITMID Technical Core
Director, Dr. Vivek Nerurkar

RCMI Program
(Leader, Dr. Duane Gubler )

Pathogen Reference and Reagent Core Facility provides a standardized library of pathogens and reagent materials.
(Head, C. Bruce Cropp)

Molecular Pathology and Histopathology Core Facility houses the collection of pathologic specimens for the APITMID institute and provide technical expertise and preparation of histologic samples.
(Head, Dr. Vivek Nerurkar)

Microarray Core Facility conducts expression profiling experiments in a large set of organisms and on all major microarray platforms.
(Head, Dr. Gabor Mocz )

COBRE Program
(Leader, Dr. Vivek Nerurkar)

Molecular Biology and Immunology Core Facility provides advance assays and equipment for conducting molecular biology and immunologic studies.
(Head, TBA)

BSL-3 Containment Facility studies microbes and viruses of a BSL-3 level.
(Head, Dr. Vivek Nerurkar )

APITMID Medical Sciences
Director, Dr. Diane Taylor

Parasitology Program draws on techniques from the fields of cell biology, bioinformatics, molecular biology, immunology, genetics and ecology to study parasites which infect humans and the relationship between them.. These include unicellular organisms such as Plasmodium spp., the organism which causes malaria, Leishmania donovani, the organism which causes leishmaniasis and multicellular organisms such as Schistosoma spp., Wuchereria bancrotti and Necator americanus.
(Head, Dr. George Hui)

Pharmacology program investigates the actions of drugs and chemicals on cells, tissues and the whole body. We research how drugs produce both beneficial and adverse effects including improving the way drugs are tested to give greater benefit in the treatment of disease. The cellular and chemical characteristics of diseases, syndromes and conditions are studied so that molecules may be designed specifically to alter or enhance these characteristics. The study of pharmacology requires understanding normal body functions (anatomy, biochemistry and physiology) and the disturbances that occur as well as an appreciation of the chemistry of compounds. Within the broader field of Pharmacology the lab focuses on two main areas: 1) metabolism and Pharmacokinetics and 2) reproductive pharmacology and toxicology.
(Head, Dr. Abby Collier )

Immunology Program studies the structure and function of the immune system, innate and acquired immunity, the bodily distinction of self from nonself, and laboratory techniques involving the interaction of antigens with specific antibodies.
(Head, Dr. Allison Imrie )

Molecular Biology Program studies the molecular basis of life processes, including cellular respiration, excretion, and reproduction. It deals specifically with the formation, structure, and function of macromolecules essential to life, such as nucleic acids and proteins, and especially with their role in cell replication, the transmission of genetic information, and the manipulation of DNA so that it can be sequenced or mutated.
(Head, Dr. Sandra Chang )

Microbiology Program studies microorganisms including eukaryotes such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes such as bacteria, protozoa and viruses.
(Head, Dr. Karen Yamaga )

Virology Program studies biological viruses, their structure and classification, their ways to infect and exploit cells to reproduce and cause disease, the techniques to isolate and culture them, and their potential uses in research and therapy.
(Head, TBA )