Vaccine Research Center

Last updated
Vaccine Research Center
Dale and Betty Bumpers Vaccine Research Center (35406793185).jpg
Headquarters of Dale and Betty Bumpers Vaccine Research Center in Bethesda, Maryland, United States
Agency overview
Formed1997;27 years ago (1997)
Agency executive
Parent department National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Parent agency National Institutes of Health
Website www.niaid.nih.gov/about/vrc

The Vaccine Research Center (VRC), is an intramural division of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The mission of the VRC is to discover and develop both vaccines and antibody-based products that target infectious diseases. [1]

Contents

The broad research portfolio of the VRC includes basic, clinical, and translational[ clarification needed ] research into vaccines for HIV, Ebola, Marburg, and RSV, among other viruses, [2] and therapeutic antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 (the virus responsible for COVID-19) and other pathogens. [3]

History

John R. Mascola, Director of the Vaccine Research Center John R. Mascola, M.D.jpg
John R. Mascola, Director of the Vaccine Research Center
Bill Gates, Francis Collins, Anthony Fauci, John R. Mascola, and NIH Vaccine Research Center scientists Bill Gates, Francis Collins, and NIH Vaccine Research Center scientists.jpg
Bill Gates, Francis Collins, Anthony Fauci, John R. Mascola, and NIH Vaccine Research Center scientists

The origins of the Vaccine Research Center date back to 1996 following discussions between President Bill Clinton and NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci regarding research addressing HIV/AIDS. Recognizing the potential impact a vaccine could make in decreasing the global public health burden of HIV, President Clinton in 1997 announced a plan to establish an HIV vaccine research center on the NIH campus. [4] The dedication ceremony for the VRC took place in 1999 with President Clinton delivering the opening remarks. [5]

Named in honor of immunization advocates former Governor of Arkansas Dale Bumpers and his wife Betty Flanagan Bumpers, the Vaccine Research Center opened its doors as Building 40 on the NIH campus in 2000. [6] The founding investigators leading the new center came from a range of scientific disciplines including virology, immunology, structural biology, bioengineering, manufacturing, clinical research and regulatory science. While HIV vaccine research and development remains a core focus, the scope of activities has expanded to include advancing scientific understanding and developing biologics for a broad array of infectious pathogens.

Leadership

2000 - 2012

Director: Gary J. Nabel [7]

Deputy Director: John R. Mascola

2013 – 2022

Director: John R. Mascola [8] [9]

Deputy Directors: Richard A. Koup, Julie E. Ledgerwood, Barney S. Graham (ret. 2021)

2022 - Present

Director: Ted C. Pierson

Deputy Director: Richard Koup

Organization

The VRC is composed of an Office of the Director, basic research laboratories and major programs.

Office of the Director:

Laboratories:

Programs:

Research Areas

To advance scientific understanding of infectious pathogens and develop investigational biologics, the VRC maintains programs in the following:

Key scientific areas [12] [11] [10] :

Primary disease-specific programs:

Projects

HIV

In July 2010, a collaboration between the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and officials at the Vaccine Research Center found that two human HIV antibodies, named VRC01 and VRC03, could potentially be used against a wide range of types and mutations of HIV in the design of a preventive HIV vaccine for human use, as well as in the formation of better antiretroviral therapy drug cocktails. The discovery, a potentially landmark one in the drive to find a vaccine for AIDS should it be validated and further improved.

Ebola

In 2016 research efforts led by Nancy Sullivan at Vaccine Research Center and J. J. Muyembe-Tamfum from the Institut National de Recherche Biomedicale (INRB) in the Democratic Republic of Congo resulted in the discovery of a monoclonal antibody, mAb114, from a survivor from the 1995 Kikwit outbreak of Ebola virus disease. [16] [17] mAb114 is a monoclonal antibody therapy that is being evaluated as a treatment for Ebola virus disease and has shown great success by lowering the mortality rate from 70% to about 34% in the 2018-2020 Kivu Ebola Virus Outbreak. In August 2019, Congolese health authorities, the World Health Organization, and the U.S. National Institutes of Health promoted the use of mAb114, alongside a similar Regeneron-produced treatment, over other treatments yielding higher mortality rates, after ending clinical trials during the outbreak. [18] [19]

Notes and references

  1. "Vaccine Research Center Mission and History | NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases". www.niaid.nih.gov. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
  2. "Vaccine Research Center Brochure" (PDF).
  3. Philippidis, Alex (March 16, 2020). "To Develop Coronavirus Treatment, Lilly Taps AbCellera Antibody Platform". GEN: Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News . Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  4. "Commencement Address at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland | The American Presidency Project". www.presidency.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-02-11.
  5. "Dale and Betty Bumpers Vaccine Research Center". clintonwhitehouse4.archives.gov. Retrieved 2022-02-11.
  6. "Building 40, Vaccine Research Center". orf.od.nih.gov. Retrieved 2022-02-11.
  7. "Nabel to Head AIDS Vaccine Institute". www.science.org. Retrieved 2022-02-11.
  8. "NIAID selects new director of the Vaccine Research Center". National Institutes of Health (NIH). 2015-08-06. Retrieved 2022-02-11.
  9. https://www.niaid.nih.gov/grants-contracts/director-vrc-announces-retirement
  10. 1 2 "Immunology Laboratory | NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases". www.niaid.nih.gov. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
  11. 1 2 "Virology Laboratory | NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases". www.niaid.nih.gov. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
  12. 1 2 "Viral Pathogenesis Laboratory | NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases". www.niaid.nih.gov. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
  13. "Lesia Dropulic, M.D. | NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases". www.niaid.nih.gov. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
  14. "Ruth Woodward DVM | NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases". www.niaid.nih.gov. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
  15. "Adrian McDermott, M.Sc., Ph.D. | NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases". www.niaid.nih.gov. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
  16. Corti D, Misasi J, Mulangu S, Stanley DA, Kanekiyo M, Wollen S, et al. (March 2016). "Protective monotherapy against lethal Ebola virus infection by a potently neutralizing antibody". Science. 351 (6279): 1339–42. Bibcode:2016Sci...351.1339C. doi: 10.1126/science.aad5224 . PMID   26917593.
  17. Hayden EC (2016-02-26). "Ebola survivor's blood holds promise of new treatment". Nature. doi:10.1038/nature.2016.19440. ISSN   1476-4687. S2CID   211835755.
  18. McNeil DG (12 August 2019). "A Cure for Ebola? Two New Treatments Prove Highly Effective in Congo". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  19. Molteni M (12 August 2019). "Ebola is Now Curable. Here's How The New Treatments Work". Wired. Retrieved 13 August 2019.

Related Research Articles

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is one of the 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). NIAID's mission is to conduct basic and applied research to better understand, treat, and prevent infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocky Mountain Laboratories</span>

Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML) is part of the NIH Intramural Research Program and is located in Hamilton, Montana. Operated by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, RML conducts research on maximum containment pathogens such as Ebola as well as research on prions and intracellular pathogens such as Coxiella burnetii and Francisella tularensis. RML operates one of the few Biosafety level 4 laboratories in the United States, as well as Biosafety level 3 and ABSL3/4 laboratories.

Barton Ford Haynes is an American physician and immunologist internationally recognized for work in T-cell immunology, retrovirology, and HIV vaccine development. Haynes is a Frederic M. Hanes Professor of Medicine and Immunology at Duke University Medical Center. He is the director of the Duke Human Vaccine Institute and the Duke Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology and Immunogen Discovery (CHAVI-ID), which was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in 2012. In addition, Haynes directs the B-cell Lineage Envelope Design Study, the Centralized Envelope Phase I Study, and the Role of IgA in HIV-1 Protection Study as part of the Collaboration for AIDS Vaccine Discovery (CAVD), which was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2006.

Bernard Moss is a virologist at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the United States National Institutes of Health. He is the Chief of the NIAID Laboratory of Viral Diseases and of the NIAID Genetic Engineering Section. He is known for his work on poxviruses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie Ledgerwood</span> American allergist and immunologist

Julie E. Ledgerwood is an American allergist and immunologist, who is the chief medical officer and chief of the Clinical Trials Program at the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. She is a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine.

Gary J. Nabel is an American virologist and immunologist who is President and chief executive officer of ModeX Therapeutics in Natick, Massachusetts. He was the founding director of Vaccine Research Center at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

A Zika virus vaccine is designed to prevent the symptoms and complications of Zika virus infection in humans. As Zika virus infection of pregnant women may result in congenital defects in the newborn, the vaccine will attempt to protect against congenital Zika syndrome during the current or any future outbreak. As of April 2019, no vaccines have been approved for clinical use, however a number of vaccines are currently in clinical trials. The goal of a Zika virus vaccine is to produce specific antibodies against the Zika virus to prevent infection and severe disease. The challenges in developing a safe and effective vaccine include limiting side effects such as Guillain-Barré syndrome, a potential consequence of Zika virus infection. Additionally, as dengue virus is closely related to Zika virus, the vaccine needs to minimize the possibility of antibody-dependent enhancement of dengue virus infection.

Ansuvimab, sold under the brand name Ebanga, is a monoclonal antibody medication for the treatment of Zaire ebolavirus (Ebolavirus) infection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian R. Murphy</span> American virologist

Brian R. Murphy is an American virologist and former co-chief of the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emmie de Wit</span> Dutch-American virologist

Emmie de Wit is a Dutch-American virologist. She is chief of the molecular pathogenesis unit at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories. Her research combines pathogenesis studies with detailed molecular analyses to identify molecular determinants of severe respiratory tract disease within the virus and the host.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrea Marzi</span> German-American virologist

Andrea Marzi is a German-American virologist. She is chief of the immunobiology and molecular virology unit at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories. Marzi investigates the pathogenesis of filoviruses and vaccine development. She received the Loeffler-Frosch medal in recognition of her research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kizzmekia Corbett</span> American immunologist

Kizzmekia "Kizzy" Shanta Corbett is an American viral immunologist. She is an Assistant Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Shutzer Assistant Professor at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute since June 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nancy Sullivan (biologist)</span> American cell biologist

Nancy Jean Sullivan is an American cell biologist researching filovirus immunology and vaccine development. She is a senior investigator and chief of the biodefense research section at the Vaccine Research Center. Her team discovered the monoclonal antibody, mAb114.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicole Doria-Rose</span> American biologist

Nicole Amy Doria-Rose (born 1970) is an American biologist. She is chief of the humoral immunology core at the Vaccine Research Center. She develops and applies assays to evaluate HIV-1 specific antibody responses during natural infection and after immunization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Green (virologist)</span> American virologist

Kim Yarbrough Green is an American virologist. She is chief of the caliciviruses section in the laboratory of infectious diseases at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. She researches noroviruses in human disease, disease prevention, and control strategies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catharine Mans Bosio</span> American biologist

Catharine "Katy" Mans Bosio is an American biologist. She is a senior investigator and chief of the immunity to pulmonary pathogens section at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vanessa M. Hirsch</span> Canadian-American veterinary pathologist and scientist

Vanessa M. Hirsch is a Canadian-American veterinary pathologist and scientist. She is a senior investigator and chief of the nonhuman primate virology section at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Hirsch researches AIDS pathogenesis, the evolution and origins of primate lentiviruses, and HIV vaccine development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heinz Feldmann</span> German-American virologist

Heinz (Heinrich) Ulrich Feldmann is a German-American virologist who currently serves as the chief of the laboratory of virology at Rocky Mountain Laboratories, NIAID and heads the Disease Modelling and Transmission section. His research focuses on highly pathogenic viruses that require strict biocontainment, including those that cause viral hemorrhagic fever such as Ebola and Lassa. He has been responsible for the development of timely viral countermeasures including the rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine (Ervebro), development of vaccines and drugs against SARS-CoV-2, and epidemiology of SARS-CoV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marybeth Daucher</span> American biologist

Mary Elizabeth Daucher is an American biologist serving as the acting chief of the vaccine production program laboratory at Vaccine Research Center of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John R. Mascola</span> American Physician-Scientist

John R. Mascola is an American physician-scientist, immunologist and infectious disease specialist. He was the director of the Vaccine Research Center (VRC), part of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH). He also served as a principal advisor to Anthony Fauci, director of NIAID, on vaccines and biomedical research affairs. Mascola is the current Chief Scientific Officer for ModeX Therapeutics.