Max Grogl is a dedicated and accomplished research and development manager with more than 35 years of diverse experience in biomedical research and development at every level from investigator to senior management during service as a commissioned officer in the US Army Medical Service Corps. His experience includes human and animal use review, clinical trials, partnership negotiations, management and oversight of drugs, vaccines, devices and medical information product development, developing research and cooperative agreements, and planning at the project, program and strategic levels.

He can act as effective interface with scientists and senior leaders in both government and private sector biomedical research, as well as the most senior leadership within the Departments of Army, Navy, Defense, State, Health Human Services and US Congress. He is fluent in multiple languages with effective interface with international organizations and governments. He is a world expert in leishmaniasis, tropical medicine, drug development, manufacturing and Good manufacturing practices (GMP), GCP, ethical conduct and regulations of clinical trials and biosafety and biosurety issues. He has over 150 scientific publications and 12 patents.

Dr Anny Fortin is currently an adjunct Member of the Department of Biochemistry at McGill University (Montreal, Canada). She has a doctorate in Biochemistry from McGill University, specialized in host response to infections and complex genetic diseases. She obtained the Governor General’s Gold medal given to the most outstanding McGill science graduate (2002-2003) and the Thomas Haliburton Henry Award for the quality of her thesis work. She is currently a Board member of the Canadian Gene Cure foundation (2008), the Belgian Society of Parasitology and Protistology (2014), and an Academic Editor at PLOS ONE (2015). She is the author of many publications in the field of infectious diseases, including several specifically on D121.