Funded Programs

The ICGEB-Emory Vaccine Center: A Collaboration between Emory University School of Medicine and the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB, New Delhi, India)

The ICGEB-Emory Vaccine Center is a joint venture of the Emory Vaccine Center and the New Delhi-based International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology. The primary purpose of the Center is to improve the control of infectious diseases around the world with a special emphasis on those diseases that disproportionately affect vulnerable populations in the developing world. To accomplish its goals, the Center conducts basic and translational research to discover effective vaccines for numerous infectious diseases. The Emory Vaccine Center and the ICGEB have already made significant progress researching vaccines for malaria, hepatitis C and E, tuberculosis, and HIV. By establishing a joint Center, Emory and the ICGEB are able to take advantage of new opportunities that will lead to advancements in vaccine research and development for these and other infectious diseases. Specific objectives of the Center include:

• Conducting basic research in molecular pathogenesis, immune responses, identification of vaccine candidates, and immune correlates of protection,
• Conducting pre-clinical studies in appropriate animal models to demonstrate vaccine-induced protective immunity and phase 1 clinical trials to document safety and immunogenicity in humans,
• Enhancing global vaccine development and implementation through vaccine research training and education, with an emphasis on training scientists from developing nations along with those from Emory and the ICGEB, and
• Establishing a broader partnership with the Department of Biotechnology, which is under the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Government of India and the Indian Council of Medical Research.

To read more about the ICGEB-Emory Vaccine Center, read A Global Collaboration in the spring 2008 issue of Emory in the World Magazine.

For more information, contact:
Rafi Ahmed, PhD
Director, Emory Vaccine Center
Professor, Emory University School of Medicine
ra@microbio.emory.edu