Vaccine Development

An essential element of the Sabin Vaccine Institute’s mission to reduce human suffering caused by infectious and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) is our program in Vaccine Development conducted in collaboration with the George Washington University and other international organizations, including the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation and Instituto Butantan (Brazil), Queensland Institute of Medical Research (Australia), the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (United Kingdom), and The Institute of Parasitic Diseases Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China). In 2000, Sabin established an innovative non-profit Product Development Partnership(PDP) to develop recombinant vaccines for human hookworm infection and other NTDs. Our Human Hookworm Vaccine Initiative is the first and only PDP with a mission to develop a vaccine to confer preventive immunity against human hookworm infection (‘hookworm’), an NTD that threatens vulnerable populations around the globe. An estimated 576 million people suffer from hookworm, primarily in the most impoverished communities of sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In these countries, hookworm is a leading cause of anemia and malnutrition. Children are among the most vulnerable populations, and suffer from severe growth and cognitive delays as a result of this disease. Women of reproductive age, including pregnant women, are also highly susceptible.

Headquartered in Washington DC, the HHVI has established a vaccine development pipeline that contains multiple antigens at various stages of development, each of which is being evaluated for potential formulation for clinical testing. Our vaccines are under clinical development in Brazil. The HHVI is pioneering the development of vaccines, which have no traditional commercial market. The diseases we combat represent the most common scourges of the world’s poorest people.

Moreover, by leveraging the infrastructure and capacity for research, development, and clinical testing developed through our hookworm initiative, we are able to develop and produce other vaccine candidates more quickly and cost-effectively. In 2008, we did this by launching a new initiative to develop a schistosomiasis vaccine through the generous funding of Mr. Morton Hyman and Mr. Leonard Blavatnik. Schistosomiasis afflicts over 200 million people around the globe and is the deadliest disease among the seven most prevalent NTDs, killing an estimated 280,000 people annually.

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The Vaccine Development Program is focused on the development of a sustainable and cost-effective vaccine for preventing diseases caused by two widespread neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) – hookworm and schistosomiasis. The HHVI is the first-ever initiative developing a sustainable and cost-effective vaccine to combat hookworm, which globally infects 576 million people. Schistosomiasis infects over 200 million people around the world and is the deadliest disease of the seven most prevalent NTDs, killing an estimated 280,000 people annually. Both are highly infectious parasitic diseases that severely threaten vulnerable populations in the most impoverished areas around the world.

• Hookworm
• Schistosomiasis
• Other Vaccine Development Projects

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The development of a successful vaccine is a significant undertaking that takes years to achieve. The Vaccine Development Program is a collaborative, international effort with a common goal – the development of the first-of-their-kind safe, effective vaccines against human hookworm and schistosomiasis. Our program is broad, diverse, and includes renowned organizations in Brazil, the United Kingdom, China, Australia, and the United States.

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