The Hope Clinic offers an innovative, community based, and scientifically grounded clinical trials program to address the need for safe and effective vaccines to prevent major global infectious diseases. Volunteers can participate in a variety of research studies designed to help better understand the human immune system, find a safe and effective vaccine for HIV/AIDS, and prevent other infectious diseases. We work closely with the Emory Center for AIDS Research and other local and national research organizations to understand immune system responses to vaccines and to help bring safe and effective vaccines into clinical practice. We create a bridge between laboratory investigation and society, linking basic science to community concerns. The clinic is recognized for its excellent, innovative prevention studies, its high impact public health agenda, and its active strategic partnerships and service to the community.
Hope Clinic volunteer opportunities can be found on the Hope Clinic website.
Emory Vaccinology Training Program (VTP) T32
This NIH-sponsored program is a robust vaccinology-centered research training program for which Dr. Mulligan serves as Program Director, and Drs. Ahmed and Stephens serve as Associate Program Directors. The training program has now appointed ~25 faculty preceptors; and four postdoctoral fellows who are receiving broad vaccinology training. Each trainee receives salary, travel, supplies and tuition.
Clinical Core Activities and Translational Studies
The Hope Clinic serves as the Clinical Core for: the Emory Center for AIDS Research (CFAR); Rafi Ahmed’s Center for Human Immunology NIH U19 award; Bali Pulendran’s NIH U19 on innate immunity and its role in vaccine immnosenescence; and as the Clinical Core for Harriet Robinson, PhD’s NIH-sponsored Integrated Preclinical and Clinical AIDS Vaccine Development (IPCAVD) award. The CFAR Clinical Core, under the leadership of its CoPIs—Drs. Lennox and Mulligan—and in collaboration with CoInvestigator Dr. Wendy Armstrong, have developed an HIV/AIDS clinical research database with linked specimen repository. Over 110 HIV-infected and uninfected participants have been enrolled in the HIV specimen repository project, and a number of Emory investigators are utilizing the repository and specimen processing capabilities of the Core based at the Hope Clinic. A new NIH grant submitted with Drs. Prausnitz and Compans to evaluate microneedle influenza vaccine strategies has scored well and will likely be funded this year.