Swiss Institute for Vaccine Research launched in Lausanne

The Swiss Institute for Vaccine Research has been launched in Lausanne. 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 co-operation 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 four institutions that have a strong tradition in the fields of immunology, virology, and vaccines against HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and cancer:

• 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).

The CHUV will conduct the translational and immunology programmes for the evaluation of immune responses induced by a vaccine. It 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 characterisation 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 characterising specific tumour responses generated by vaccination.

The new Institute will further seek collaboration with other Swiss institutions. It 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 co-operation with industrial partners.