ZVITAMBO HIV Prevention and Care for Communities, Phase III, in Zimbabwe

Vaccine-related activities: I am very interested in basic studies of the correlates of immune protection as well as the immunologic correlates of vaccine-associated adverse events. Using measles as our primary model, we have examined immune responses generated following natural infection and vaccination in children of the developed and the developing world. Adverse events after vaccination are a growing concern and the lab has been involved and continues to be involved in studies of adverse events after vaccines for measles (increased mortality after the high titer formulation, autism and Crohns Disease after MMR), pertussis (local and systemic reactions), anthrax (all events), smallpox (death) and influenza (oculo-respiratory syndrome). We are also very interested in the interactions between virus (measles and HIV are our models) and retinoids both in vitro and in the field (Zimbabwe, Peru). We are developing proteosome-based vaccines (nasal delivery) for several respiratory viruses (measles, RSV, PIV3) as well as Toxoplasma gondii (Tg-AMA1) and Leishmania donovani (A2). Finally, we have an active Vaccine Evaluation Center that recruits subjects to ‘first-in-man’ Phase I and Phase II studies. In 2003, we studied a CpG-based hepatitis B vaccine, a pan-serotype, protein-based Streptocossus pneumoniae vaccine and a trivalent proteosome-based influenza vaccine. Parasitology: The lab includes the National Center for Parasitology (NRCP), an external reference laboratory for health Canada that performs almost all diagnostic testing for parasitic diseases in the country. In the past several years he NRCP has developed novel assays or improved assays for a number of parasitic diseases (Chagas disease, leishmania, cyclosporiasis, strongyloidiasis). We have used standard and modified EIA techniques, PCR and SELDI-ToF MS. We are also actively involved in the development of novel treatments for parasitic diseases including imiquomod for leishmaniasis (Peru) and protease inhibitors for C parvum. (IFNg receptor KO mouse model) and c-MET antagonists for malaria (P berghei model).