Gary Nabel, M.D., Director, Vaccine Research Center, NIAID
Dr. Nabel said that the Vaccine Research Center is using immunologic and virologic analysis and viral pathogenesis to develop the concepts necessary to generate vaccine candidates for a variety of diseases, with a primary emphasis on AIDS. Ultimately the VRC is interested in the evaluation of immune responses in humans to vaccine candidates, and will work toward moving studies from preclinical animal models to non-human primates and to human trials.
Several VRC laboratories are working on the rational design and development of vaccine candidates. Other investigators evaluate these candidates in the preclinical models and early primate studies. Another group implements and evaluates the trials.
Dr. Nabel anticipates that when the VRC is fully staffed, it will have about 100 scientists, and the budget will be in the $45 million range. Currently the VRC has 10 lab or section chiefs, 3 staff scientists, and 40 postdoctoral level staff. The VRC has a visiting scholar program and runs an NIH-wide AIDS vaccine funding program to promote collaborations of investigators within NIH.
Much of the VRC's work is in the area of ebola virus infection. The ebola virus is a useful model for approaching HIV vaccine design because many of the issues are the same. Last year the VRC identified the source of the ebola virus' molecular toxicity. The VRC has advanced some studies that have worked well against the ebola virus and may be useful platforms for an HIV vaccine.
The VRC has worked vigorously to move HIV vaccine candidates into trial, identifying the first immunogen to move forward into human studies.
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