Director: Dan Barouch, MD
dbarouch@bidmc.harvard.edu
The goal of the vaccine program is to create greater synergy and interaction among CFAR investigators in the areas of therapeutic and prophylactic vaccines, in both animal models and humans. These areas include studies of the fundamental structure of HIV immunogens, development and assessment of novel vaccine candidates in animal model systems, and conducting of phase I/II clinical trials in normal HIV sero-negative volunteers and in HIV-infected patients. Thus the vaccine program will link vaccine related researchers from bench to bedside to the community.
The HU CFAR affiliated institutions have a long history of innovative leadership in HIV vaccine development, including, among others, the development of a primate model of AIDS, elucidation of key cellular and humoral immune responses, crystallization of the HIV envelope, development of the SHIV challenge model, the first evidence of vaccine protection by an attenuated vaccine, and the first evidence of durable vaccine protection from disease progression in macaques. These efforts have led to a growing collaborative effort at HMS, which includes investigators at all of the HU CFAR affiliated institutions. The Vaccine Program thus already represents a highly interactive group of scientists and clinicians, and the continuation of this program in the merged HU CFAR will expand collaborative research efforts. Through the Vaccine Program, ongoing vaccine efforts at HMS will be discussed at regular meetings with the emphasis of identifying new questions that can be addressed through incorporation of additional research efforts.
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