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.
The Wistar Institute is an independent,nonprofit research institution in biomedical science with special focuses in oncology,immunology,infectious disease and vaccine research. Located on Spruce Street in Philadelphia’s University City neighborhood,Wistar was founded in 1892 as a nonprofit institution to focus on biomedical research and training.
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.
Zika virus is a member of the virus family Flaviviridae. It is spread by daytime-active Aedes mosquitoes,such as A. aegypti and A. albopictus. Its name comes from the Ziika Forest of Uganda,where the virus was first isolated in 1947. Zika virus shares a genus with the dengue,yellow fever,Japanese encephalitis,and West Nile viruses. Since the 1950s,it has been known to occur within a narrow equatorial belt from Africa to Asia. From 2007 to 2016,the virus spread eastward,across the Pacific Ocean to the Americas,leading to the 2015–2016 Zika virus epidemic.
The University of Kansas School of Medicine is a public medical school located on the University of Kansas Medical Center campuses in Kansas City,Kansas,and also Salina,Kansas,and Wichita,Kansas. The Kansas City campus is co-located with the independent University of Kansas Health System,and they are commonly known collectively as KU Med.
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.
Jay A. Levy is an American AIDS and cancer research physician. He is a professor of medicine with specialties in virology and immunology at the University of California,San Francisco (UCSF).
Julie E. Ledgerwood is an American allergist and immunologist,who is the chief medical officer and serves as 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-Barrésyndrome,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.
Omar Bagasra is a Pakistani-American Molecular Biologist,Biotechnologist and author,known for his innovations in the Polymerase Chain Reaction method and popular public and scientific talks in biotechnology. He is also known for his role as an independent investigator in the HIV trial in Libya,an important event of international significance in immunology,medical criminology and human rights.
Larry J. Anderson is an American virologist who served in leadership positions at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for more than three decades. He was director of the Division of Viral Diseases in the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC (2006–2010),and chief of the Respiratory and Enteric Viruses Branch of the CDC Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases (1982–2006). From 2003 to 2006,Anderson led the CDC’s Post-Outbreak SARS Program,and he served as a special advisor on smallpox in the Office of the Associate Director for Terrorism,Preparedness,and Response.
Nelson L. Michael is an American infectious disease researcher. He has served for nearly 30 years in the United States Army and been directly involved with significant advancements in understanding the pathology of and vaccine development for diseases like HIV,Zika,Ebola and more. Much of his career has been spent at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.
James Earl Crowe Jr. is an American immunologist and pediatrician as well as Professor of Pediatrics and Pathology,Microbiology,and Immunology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
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.
Dan Hung Barouch is an American physician,immunologist,and virologist. He is known for his work on the pathogenesis and immunology of viral infections and the development of vaccine strategies for global infectious diseases.
Richard Hatchett is an American oncologist and epidemiologist who has been serving as chief executive officer of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) in Oslo and London since 2017. He was awarded the Secretary of Health and Human Services's Award for Distinguished Service.
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.
William C. Gruber is an American physician-scientist,pediatrician,and business executive. He is the senior vice president of Pfizer vaccine clinical research and development.
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.
