Global Collaborations

Through its active international research collaborations, the Emory Vaccine Center focuses on problems that are of global interest and global in nature. Partnerships target such diseases as tuberculosis, dengue fever, chikungunya and the seroprevalence of HIV with colleagues around the world. Many of the projects are the first of their kind, exposing faculty and fellows to creative excellence and research-based discoveries. A primary objective of these international efforts is to expose research fellows and other scientists around the globe to the cutting edge immunological techniques that are the hallmark of the Emory Vaccine Center. The overarching goal of these global collaborations is the development of novel translational methodologies that will convert research concepts into clinically useful diagnostics and treatments. In 2008 two international leaders in vaccine science and technology--the Emory Vaccine Center and the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB)-- launched the Joint ICGEB-Emory Vaccine Center in New Delhi. Since then, the center has focused on the pathogenesis and immunology of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, hepatitis C, dengue virus, malaria and other infectious diseases that disproportionately affect the developing world. Thanks to the work of EVC researcher Dr. Murali Kaja and others, plus wide-ranging support from the Indian scientific community, the Center has established a large MHC tetramer facility at the ICGEB-Emory campus, increasing the capacity for cutting edge research.

The Australian Centre for Vaccine Development (ACVD) was created in 2009 at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) and the Emory Vaccine Center. Many collaborative research projects have been initiated, forging close personal and professional relationships among Emory Vaccine Center and ACVD faculty.

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The Hope Clinic and Dr. Mark Mulligan have partnered with St. Johns Research Institute in Bangalore, India for the Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit (VTEU) contract funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). This work includes implementing, conducting, analyzing and completing clinical trials for the VTEU. St. Johns Research Institute offers access to a large international patient population for these trials. Dr. John Kenneth will serve as the PI of the collaboration with Dr. Mulligan for the VTEU trials.

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Dr. Eric Hunter’s research group, in collaboration with other Emory investigators, has focused on understanding HIV-1 transmission in heterosexual couples enrolled into studies in Kigali, Rwanda and Lusaka, Zambia with the goal of developing an effective protective vaccine against HIV. His laboratory is also studying how HIV-1 adapts to a new environment each time transmission occurs.

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The Emory Vaccine Center and the Institute for Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine (IIDMM) at the University of Cape Town, South Africa recently signed a memorandum of understanding to expand the reach of infectious disease research globally, especially in the areas of TB pathogenesis/vaccine and HIV/AIDS.  

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The statistics on dengue fever are increasingly alarming over the past few years with 2.5 billion people now living in areas that put them at risk of becoming infected with the virus. Dr. Oscar Perng and his group have engaged in collaborative efforts with investigators at Emory, as well as with other international institutions, for example, the Siriraj Hospital at Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand, to understand the molecular pathogenesis of and immune responses to dengue viruses in humans with the hope of designing effective vaccines and immunotherapeutics against dengue.