In the face of natural calamities and bioterrorist threats, Rochester receives an $11.9 million compensation
The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) is making strides in vaccine development, leveraging computer modeling to enhance human immune responses against potentially lethal viruses, including the flu. This innovative approach, which has been in operation for over a decade, is taking vaccine research into the 21st century.
The latest development is a five-year contract, worth approximately $11.9 million, from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This contract will fund the development of new mathematical approaches and software tools for immunology research.
URMC's expertise in vaccine development, particularly in using innovative vector platforms, is well-established. Dr. Michael C. Keefer, a researcher at URMC, has a background in vaccine development using such platforms to improve immune protection against viral infections like HIV. This expertise likely extends to other lethal viruses, including flu.
The use of mathematical modeling and biostatistical data analyses for immune response research is central to URMC's strategic efforts. Programs like the Developmental Center for AIDS Research (D-CFAR) integrate mathematical modeling to study HIV/AIDS immunity and vaccine strategies.
The implications for vaccine development are significant. The models will accelerate the design and optimization of vaccine candidates, identify immune correlates of protection, and predict how vaccines perform against different viral strains. This approach holds promise for creating more effective vaccines and immunotherapies against potentially lethal viruses.
David Topham, Ph.D., co-director of the New York Influenza Center of Excellence, emphasizes the importance of Rochester's mathematical and computational approaches in vaccine research. The contract is a renewal of the Center for Biodefense Immune Modeling at the Medical Center, which was initially funded with a $10 million contract in 2005.
Between 2005 and 2015, total funding for these projects is approximately $64 million. The research aims to uncover why some people have a good response to a vaccine and others don't, using data from mice and humans. The study will analyze the samples in a battery of cell, protein, and gene expression tests.
The more comprehensive and mathematically-based approach is believed to yield greater understanding of how viruses attack the body, how the immune system reacts, and how we might be able to intervene. The models will be used to simulate different flu scenarios and test medical interventions that might be developed to limit the extent of a dangerous flu infection in people.
The data will be used to create models that predict responses to current and future flu vaccines in mice and potentially in people. Using models and simulations is commonplace in many industries, and biomedical research has adopted this same approach to gather information that will help scientists design the most effective vaccines and therapies in the shortest amount of time.
The Center for Biodefense Immune Modeling at the University of Rochester Medical Center is involved in several flu-related projects, including the New York Influenza Center of Excellence, the Center for Biodefense of Immunocompromised Populations, and the Health Sciences Center for Computational Innovation. The University of Rochester Medical Center also participates in a study that will collect blood samples from people daily for 11 days after they receive the seasonal flu vaccine.
URMC has a combination of advanced computational biology, biostatistics, and vaccine immunology that can conduct large scale, translational human immunology projects. This unique combination, coupled with the university's commitment to collaboration and cross-pollination among researchers and between programs, positions URMC as a leader in the field of vaccine development.
The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) is using its expertise in vaccine development, particularly in mathematical modeling and immunology research, to create more effective vaccines and immunotherapies against potentially lethal viruses, such as the flu. This financial support from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is not only flowing into the development of new mathematical approaches but also software tools for this specific purpose.
Despite the importance of testing vaccines on humans, URMC's research also involves analyzing samples from mice in a battery of cell, protein, and gene expression tests. Using these models and simulations is part of a broader, mathematically-based approach that aims to gather information for designing the most effective vaccines and therapies in the shortest time possible.
