Vaccines & Vaccination

Biography

Biography: Rodolfo M. Alarcón

Abstract

The overall mission of the Enteric and Hepatic Diseases Branch (EHDB) is to manage and grow vigorous research and development portfolios focused on bacterial and viral pathogens such as Shigella, rotavirus, and noroviruses. To carry out this mission EHDB uses extramural grants and contracts to aid in the development of new and improved interventions for the benefit of public health. Independent investigator initiated grants such as R01s are the predominate funding mechanism for infectious disease focused research, however, to assist academic and industrial developers of vaccines and therapeutics, a series of contracts have been established at the Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (DMID). These contracts encompass a multitude of vaccine preclinical and clinical services. In working with grantees and industry collaborators, our preclinical services contracts are utilized for a vast array of vaccine development services such as manufacture of master and working cell banks and immunogenicity testing. Our Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Units contract is our primary clinical services mechanism for funding vaccine trials and epidemiological studies. This presentation will highlight our current preclinical and clinical vaccine efforts and development resources for investigators interested in vaccine product development.