The availability of numerous vaccines and the rapidly advancing medical technology allow fighting human diseases nowadays than in the past. This enormous advance is due to a better knowledge of immunity, which is the ability of host body to protect itself. The vaccines platform aims at strengthening scientific expertise and technological tools to facilitate optimization of vaccine development for human diseases and at sharing information across pathologies, such as infection diseases and cancer. The integration, harmonization and coordination of complementary technologies and strategies will generate new knowledge and accelerate development of effective and safe vaccines.

MAIN INFRASTRUCTURES AND METHODOLOGIES AVAILABLE

The Vaccines platform provides scientific and technical guidance on the vaccine development pipeline ranging from pre-clinical development to clinical trials. It also includes a network of experts for regulatory affairs.

The areas of competence are vaccines for infectious diseases and non-infectious diseases.

The platform guarantees direct access to resources supporting faster and more efficient project advancements.

The Vaccines platform promotes technology and knowledge exchanges across all other A_IATRIS product platforms shortening the time to fill gaps in research and clinical practice.

The vaccines platform promotes the discovery of new scientific and technological tools for adjunctive therapy for chronic infectious diseases and cancer.

The platform organizes education and training activities.

Evaluation of the immune response

• In vitro immunogenicity assays
• Immunological monitoring related to the disease and vaccine responses 

In vitro assays

• Collection, culture identification and molecular typing of viruses, bacteria, fungi and protozoa
• Identification and characterization of cancer and pathogen antigens  
• Cellular assays to evaluate the efficacy of vaccines and adjuvants

In vivo assays

• Animal models, small and medium size, to test the efficacy and toxicity of vaccination and to analyze the humoral and cellular response
• Animal models, small and medium size, to test adjuvants and delivery system
• Insectarium to study vector-borne diseases

Vaccine Products

• Live-attenuated vaccines
• Inactivated vaccines
• Subunit, recombinant, polysaccharide, and conjugate vaccines
• DNA/RNA vaccines Toxoid vaccines
• Recombinant vector vaccines  

Delivery systems

• Nanoparticles
• Viral vectors
• Adjuvant delivery systems
• Other

Adjuvants

• Microbial derivatives  
• Oil emulsions and surfactant based formulations
• Inert vehicles  
• Particulate adjuvants  
• Endogenous human immunomodulators
• Mineral salts

TASK FORCE

Chair: Dr. Lucia Gabriele (ISS)
Co-Chair: Prof. Antonio Rosato