$4,727,296
Washington Vaccine Alliance
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Focus: To develop an integrated, multi-institutional program to stimulate discovery and development of vaccines for widespread use
Scientific and financial constraints throughout the vaccine development process result in delays and high product costs that limit the public health impact of candidate vaccines. Because of these challenges, the firms that develop vaccines do so only when validated animal tests or human clinical trials demonstrate a likelihood of success. The Washington Vaccine Alliance will bring a shared translational research framework and interdisciplinary expertise to vaccine economics, design, formulation, testing, materials production, immune response assessment, and product planning.
Three specific vaccine projects will be initially addressed. One in five adults in Washington State is infected with the herpes simplex virus (HSV)-2. Infectious syphilis cases have doubled in the United States since 2000 and E. coli contamination continues to be a persistent problem in the nation's food sources. Each of these disease agents costs Washington and the nation billions of dollars in treatment and care.
Collaborating organizations: Battelle, Pacific Northwest Division; Infectious Disease Research Institute, Program for Appropriate Technology in Health, Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, University of Washington, Washington State University
Grant Update
“In order to address these needs, work in all three of these areas is underway. Currently, the syphilis vaccine project team is producing the appropriate proteins in order to test the effectiveness of two formulations through immunizations in rabbits. Immunizations using the first formulation are in progress. The E.coli vaccine project team has developed a series of trials involving cattle. Trials 1 and 2 are aimed at identifying the optimal adjuvant and delivery vehicle for the vaccine. Trial 1 is complete and Trial 2 immunizations are underway. In addition, WAVA is in the process of developing collaboration agreements and drafting the milestones for the HSV-2 vaccine project, with plans for the clinical trial to begin in 2011. Finally, a small pilot program is currently under development.”
See also:
| Jul 30, 2010 | Fred Hutchinson cancer center names AIDS expert as new leader [ THE SEATTLE TIMES ] |
