United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office National Security and International Affairs Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1999-03-29 monographic deposited born digital 28 p. GA 1.13:NSIAD-99-5 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-99-5 P0b002ee18038662f f:ns99005 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-99-5 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-99-5 NSIAD-99-5 Veterans Research reports Medical research Disease detection or diagnosis Testing Persian Gulf War Letter Report NSIAD S99005 Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO investigated the reports that the blood samples of some ill Gulf War-era veterans contained antibodies for squalene, a component of adjuvant formulations used in some experimental vaccines but not in any licensed vaccines, focusing on whether: (1) the Department of Defense (DOD) or the National Institutes of Health (NIH) performed or sponsored research using squalene; (2) DOD considered using adjuvant formulations in vaccines administered to Gulf War-era veterans; and (3) any research has detected the presence of squalene in ill Gulf War-era veterans.<p/>GAO noted that: (1) prior to and following the Gulf War, DOD and NIH used adjuvant formulations of squalene to perform research on the development of more effective vaccines; (2) DOD officials stated they considered, but decided against, using vaccines with experimental adjuvant formulations during the Gulf War; (3) according to independent researchers, as part of their treatment of sick Gulf War-era veterans, they developed and administered a test, referred to as an assay, that detected antibodies to squalene in the blood of sick Gulf War-era veterans; (4) the researchers stated this assay is similar to a standard assay used in other types of research; (5) as of March 1999, the research has been subjected to peer review, but had not been published; (6) this process is often lengthy, sometimes taking a year or more; (7) according to DOD officials, DOD could develop such an assay inexpensively and test it on a sample of sick Gulf War-era veterans; (8) however, DOD plans to wait until the research is published before deciding whether to conduct testing; and (9) given the researchers' assessment, DOD's comments about the feasibility of developing an assay and that veterans have been waiting for the past 7 years for answers on the nature and origin of their illnesses, DOD has the opportunity to expand on the research already performed. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-99-5/html/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-99-5.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-99-5/pdf/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-99-5.pdf GAO/NSIAD-99-5 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-99-5 Letter Report GAO/NSIAD-99-5; Gulf War Illnesses: Questions About the Presence of Squalene Antibodies in Veterans Can Be Resolved; Veterans Research reports Medical research Disease detection or diagnosis Testing Persian Gulf War