AML Ebola samples and consent management A

To Whom It May Concern:

This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act, covering the time period December 1st 2013 to now.

I hereby request the following records from the 1st Area Medical Laboratory (AML) at Fort Bragg:
1. A template of the consent forms signed by patients enrolled in Ebola vaccines and therapies clinical trials in the affected countries (i.e. Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone) and in possession of the AML. If you do not hold this document, please let me know where I can find this (institution and exact location within it)
2. A template of the consent form signed by the Ebola patients whose samples have been analyzed in labs in the affected countries (e.g. in Nimba, Sinoe and Grand Gedeh) and in possession of the AML. If you do not hold this document, please let me know where I can find this (institution and exact location within it)
3. the inventory of all the consent forms that have been signed, both for sample extraction and vaccine and therapies clinical trials, in the affected countries and in possession of the AML
4. The policies that the AML follows to obtain consent of patients in the extraction of blood and other samples for medicinal or research purposes - both in the US and abroad.
5. the policy/document that AML follows to manage samples such as Ebola in order to keep them linked with their consent information, including in biobanks
6. A list of the origins of the samples processed in the AML labs in the affected countries (e.g. in Nimba, Sinoe and Grand Gedeh). Or if that does not exist, the documents that came with each of the samples.

This request should be properly classified as a media request. I am a freelance investigative reporter covering covering East and Central Africa, with a particular focus on business, corruption, natural resources, land and social issues. I have a strong likelihood of publishing news articles based on information released in response to this request. I have previously been published in Le Monde Afrique, IRIN News, Sydney Morning Herald, African Arguments and others. If you have questions about my media classification, please let me know and I'm happy to address them.

In the event that fees cannot be waived, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filed electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not, and I would like text-searchable documents.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.

Best regards,
Emmanuel Freudenthal

Apologies, I've just realised I sent you that FOIA before (and still waiting for a reply). Please ignore the previous email and treat the following request instead

To Whom It May Concern:

This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act directed towards the 1st Area Medical Laboratory at Fort Bragg, covering the time period December 1st 2013 to now..

I hereby request the following records:
1. All the documents (such as an import permit or a Special Agent Form 2) that the AML used to export Ebola samples to the US
2. A copy of all the Select Agents Program APHIS/CDC forms 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 that were submitted by the AML pertaining to Ebola.
3. The agreements that the AML has signed/reached with each of the affected countries (or their relevant institutions) regarding Ebola and the transfer of Ebola samples.
4. A template of the document that catalogues each sample together with its relevant information, of if this does not exist a list of all the information that is attached to each sample. e.g. age of patient, viral load, type of sample (such as blood, swab etc) etc
5. Agreements signed by the AML (e.g. Material Transfer Agreements) with other institutions regarding the use of Ebola samples
6. The inventory of all Ebola samples that are, or were, in possession of the AML (in the US or abroad) and were collected in Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone (the affected countries), including all the information that comes with it, e.g. the location/lab of collection, their current location, and, if relevant, whether they have been destroyed. If such an inventory does not exist, please let us know the protocol you used to avoid samples going missing.
7. The inventory of all Ebola samples imported to the US, including their current location (labs and/or biobanks where they are stored), and, if relevant, the number that have been destroyed.
8. Any inventory held by the AML regarding Ebola samples that were collected or processed by other entities (including the CDC, DOD, NIH, Navy, ACCEL, private laboratories etc) in Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone (the affected countries), including the location/lab of collection, their current location, and, if relevant, whether they have been destroyed.

This request should be properly classified as a media request. I am a freelance investigative reporter covering covering East and Central Africa, with a particular focus on business, corruption, natural resources, land and social issues. I have a strong likelihood of publishing news articles based on information released in response to this request. I have previously been published in Le Monde Afrique, IRIN News, Sydney Morning Herald, African Arguments and others. If you have questions about my media classification, please let me know and I'm happy to address them.

In the event that fees cannot be waived, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filed electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not, and I would like text-searchable documents.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.

Best regards,
Emmanuel Freudenthal