The Duke Human Vaccine Institute (DHVI) has received a new T32 training award to establish the Vaccines and Biologics Against Infectious Diseases (VBAID) program, an interdisciplinary initiative that prepares postdoctoral scientists to develop vaccines and antibody-based countermeasures against emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.
The VBAID program will be housed within the DHVI and is open to postdoctoral researchers with PhD or MD/PhD degrees. Maria Blasi, PhD, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, and Wilton Williams, PhD, associate professor of surgery in the Division of Surgical Sciences, will serve as multiple principal investigators, with Blasi serving as contact principal investigator. Both Drs. Blasi and Williams currently serve as co-directors for the DHVI Training Program.
The VBAID T32 program is designed to span the full bench-to-bedside continuum, giving trainees experience in basic and translational science as well as the development and testing of vaccines and biologics. Training will include studying pathogens at the cellular and molecular levels, investigating disease processes, and applying those findings to design and test candidate products in preclinical animal studies and human clinical trials.
Blasi said the program's central goal is to prepare the next generation of scientists working on emerging and re-emerging pathogens through state-of-the-art interdisciplinary training in vaccine and antibody countermeasure development. A distinguishing feature of the program is DHVI's expertise across multiple stages of product development, including basic research, preclinical studies, product design, manufacturing and clinical trial testing.
That breadth will give trainees access to faculty mentors working across a range of infectious diseases. DHVI faculty are developing approaches to address pathogens such as HIV, emerging coronaviruses, influenza, tuberculosis and flaviviruses, among others.
Trainees may participate in the program for appointments of up to three years and select from three research tracks: host immunity to pathogens for antibody discovery and vaccine design; vaccine development against viral infections; and maternal and pediatric immunity.
The program will also allow trainees to pursue enrichment opportunities in computational biology and bioinformatics; biostatistics and artificial intelligence; good manufacturing practices and quality assurance; and clinical trials and biocontainment research. Required training will cover areas including responsible conduct of research, human and animal research and data integrity.
Through the existing DHVI Training and Mentoring Program, participants will also have access to professional development in scientific writing, grant development, statistics and informatics, research presentation skills, emerging technologies, and communicating science to the public.
The award is expected to support three postdoctoral researchers, with the broader aim of preparing scientists to lead high-impact research and develop solutions to infectious disease threats with significant implications for public health. The program's announcement describes that mission as equipping postdoctoral scientists to be at the forefront of responding to emerging threats.
Additional information about VBAID training opportunities and activities will be announced by DHVI.