Training program in vaccine development

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Rationale and Relevance: Infectious diseases still account for significant morbidity and mortality in the developing world. Vaccines are one of the most cost effective advances in medical science, and if appropriately used, are potent instruments in the control of infectious diseases. Successful vaccine development requires an integrative scientific and public health approach, and requires input from basic scientists, epidemiologists, public health officials, clinicians, institutional and regulatory agencies, and industry, among others. The development of a safe and effective vaccine most often requires a firm understanding of the underlying pathogenesis of the infectious process, as well as host-pathogen interactions and immune responses. Objectives: The main objective of this training program is to build sustainable infectious disease research capacity in the field of vaccine development at the ICDDR.B: International Centre for Health and Population Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The focus would be the training of individuals in the fundamental development and evaluation of vaccines against enteric infections, focusing on the development and evaluation of vaccines against Vibrio cholerae, the cause of cholera. Special emphasis would include the role of high throughput genomic and proteomic technologies in V. cholerae vaccine development. Individuals trained in these areas would complement the expertise and skills already present at the ICDDR.B, and would help create a synergistic core group of researchers at the ICDDR.B able to meet current and ongoing infectious disease threats globally and in the developing world. Design: We propose a five year Global Infectious Disease Research Training Program in vaccine development between the Massachusetts General Hospital-Harvard University and the ICDDR.B. The training program would build upon the strengths of both institutions and a number of on-going collaborations, and would include both intensive and long-term training of a small group of individuals (one year at the MGH- Harvard; two years at the ICDDR.B), as well as shorter and more focused training of a larger group of individuals through workshops and seminars (at the ICDDR.B) on topics pertinent to vaccine development.