Graduate Training Program in Multidimensional Vaccinogenesis

说明(申请人提供)：虽然没有比免疫更广泛有效的疾病预防方法，但很少有疫苗，特别是那些特定成分的疫苗，到达公众手中。百日咳等传染病的再次出现、新的传染病的出现和生物恐怖主义的幽灵突显了迅速将免疫原从实验室转移到公共卫生领域的重要性。由于配方、稳定性和递送方面的问题，大多数免疫原作为疫苗失败。除了免疫原的发现，疫苗的研制还需要：a)对抗原进行物理和化学分析；b)最大限度地提高稳定性和免疫原性的配方(例如，佐剂的使用)；以及c)表征和优化递送。这条路通常需要过多的尝试和错误，每一步都有延迟，故障率很高。我们提出了疫苗生成的概念，它是从候选免疫原创造疫苗的集体过程。由于需要跨越传统学科界限的洞察力，疫苗开发长期以来既是一门科学，也是一门艺术。这个过程本质上是跨学科的，使用了生物化学、药理学、免疫学、生物学和生物物理学，并结合了复杂的逻辑和经验分析。我们建议开发一种称为多维疫苗生成的方法，它涵盖了从免疫原发现到临床测试的各个步骤。多维疫苗接种必须从经过培训的新一代专业人员演变为能够使用生物化学、生物、数学和物理语言进行交流的多语言专业人员。我们概述了一种培养新一代科学家的方法。这一研究生培训计划的目标是：1)建立一个跨学科的研究和培训环境，并针对可用疫苗的起源所面临的重要问题；以及2)创造一种文化，实践跨学科研究的多种语言，作为探索疫苗开发问题的手段。这些目标将通过建立现有的跨学科合作来实现。然后，我们将进一步开发一门课程，将疫苗生成的生物学和生物物理学与定量方法和数据管理相结合。预期的结果是发展新一代疫苗接种专家，他们能够有效地为改善国内外和生物防御领域的公共卫生做出贡献。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): While no disease prevention approach is more broadly powerful than immunization, few vaccines, especially those of defined composition, ever reach the public. The re-emergence of communicable illnesses like pertussis, the emergence of new infectious diseases and the specter of bioterrorism, underscore the importance for expeditiously moving immunogens out of the laboratory and into the realm of public health. Most immunogens fail as vaccines due to problems in formulation, stabilization and delivery. Beyond immunogen discovery, vaccine creation requires: a) physical and chemical analysis of the antigen; b) formulation to maximize stability and immunogenic potential (e.g., adjuvant use); and c) characterization and optimization of delivery. This path often entails excessive trial and error with delays at each step and a high failure rate. We propose the concept of vaccinogenesis, which is the collective process of creating vaccines from candidate immunogens. By requiring insights that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries, vaccine development has long been an art as much as a science. The process is inherently interdisciplinary and employs biochemistry, pharmacology, immunology, biology, and biophysics in conjunction with complicated logical and empirical analyses. We propose to develop an approach we call Multidimensional Vaccinogenesis, which covers the steps between immunogen discovery and clinical testing. Multidimensional Vaccinogenesis must evolve from a new generation of professionals trained to be multilingual in that they can communicate in the languages of biochemistry, biology, mathematics and physics. We outline a means to prepare this new generation of scientists. The goals of this Graduate Training Program are: 1) develop a research and training environment that is interdisciplinary and targets the important issues faced in the genesis of useable vaccines; and 2) generate a culture that practices the diverse languages of interdisciplinary research as the means for exploring problems in vaccine development. These goals will be accomplished by building upon existing interdisciplinary collaborations. We will then further develop a curriculum that combines the biology and biophysics of vaccinogenesis with quantitative methods and data management. The expected outcome is the development of a new generation of vaccinologists who can efficiently contribute to improved public health domestically, abroad, and in the arena of biodefense.