Creation of the Swiss Institute for Vaccine Research in Lausanne, Switzerland
Under embargo for publication until 5 December 17h00 CET
The Swiss Institute for Vaccine Research will be launched on
December 5, 2007, in Lausanne, Switzerland. The new Institute will
encompass the principal aspects of vaccine research to fight the three
main infectious diseases : HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. The
Institute will also benefit from ongoing vaccine research in cancer
and influenza.
The Institute will develop an immunology, microbiology and vaccine
research laboratory platform to encourage cooperation between
scientists working in the field of HIV, malaria, tuberculosis,
influenza and cancer vaccine development in Switzerland, from
fundamental to clinical researchers. Vaccines against hepatitis C,
Dengue fever and other infectious agents may be developed at a later
date.
The Institute will initially be based on a partnership between the
following Swiss institutions:
-- The Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) and the
Faculty of Biology and Medicine (FBM) of the University of
Lausanne (UNIL),
-- the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL),
-- the Institute for Biomedical Research in Bellinzona (IRB),
-- and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne branch
in Epalinges (LICR).
These four institutions have a strong tradition in the fields of
immunology, virology, and vaccines against HIV/AIDS, malaria,
tuberculosis and cancer. The new Institute will further seek
collaboration with other Swiss institutions.
The new Institute also aims to train new generations of scientists
in the field of vaccines, by creating several new research groups. The
Institute will work with the most prominent public and private
organizations involved in vaccine development and will also encourage
cooperation with industrial partners.
The role of each partner
The Swiss Institute for Vaccine Research will initially be based
on four partner institutions, selected for their scientific competence
and clinical or laboratory infrastructures.
The CHUV will conduct the translational and immunology programmes
for the evaluation of immune responses induced by a vaccine. The CHUV
will also make available its clinical trial infrastructure.
The EPFL will conduct the fundamental research programme in
virology, microbiology and vectorology. The ease of access to robotics
and microtechnics will be of prime importance for the development of
new high flow and automated immunology tests. The EPFL will also
make available the infrastructures for proteomics, microscopic and
biomedical imaging, protein production, genomics, and high flow
biomolecular screening.
The IRB will conduct the fundamental research programme in
immunology with, as its main objective, the characterization of T cell
memory and the study of the mechanisms causing T cell responses.
The LICR will conduct a fundamental research programme in
immunology aimed at characterizing specific tumour responses generated
by vaccination.
The launch
The launch of the Swiss Institute for Vaccine Research will take
place on December 5, 2007, at 17 :00 CET, in Lausanne, Switzerland,
in the presence of the Swiss Secretary of State for Education and
Research, Charles Kleiber, representatives of the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation and the World Health Organization (WHO) as well as leading
US specialists in HIV/AIDS research.
(End of advance for release 11 a.m. ET December 5.)