The staff and units of the Initiative for Vaccine Research
The role of the Initiative for Vaccine Research (IVR) is:
- to provide a source of guidance and vision for the world-wide vaccine R&D efforts,
- to contribute to a global agenda with other partners and identify the specific roles of WHO/IVR,
- to advocate for R&D efforts for priority vaccines and vaccination strategies,
- to facilitate and co-ordinates clinical trials, ensuring proper scientific and ethical standards,
- to provide normative guidance, standards and reagents,
- to build capacity, provide training and facilitates technology transfer,
- to address the issues of access and introduction of new vaccines,
- to encourage partnerships.
Director IVR, Dr Marie-Paule Kieny, acts as the Head of the WHO Secretariat for the Global Vaccine Research Forum as well as for the IVR Vaccine Advisory Committee (IVAC).
The Initiative is composed of three units, each headed by a Coordinator:
Product Research and Development (IVR/RPD)
Coordinator - Dr Teresa Aguado. This unit works on vaccines against meningococcal meningitis, diarrhoeal diseases - with particular emphasis at present on cholera and typhoid, influenza and measles (aerosol delivery). This team is also responsible for the application of new delivery systems to vaccines and more specifically, for the development a new effort to provide adjuvants to the public sector (the Global Adjuvant Development Initiative, GADI). In addition, Dr Aguado coordinates within the department and across WHO, human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine activities.
Joint WHO-UNAIDS HIV Vaccine Initiative (IVR/HVI)
Coordinator - Dr Saladin Osmanov. This unit works purely on vaccines against HIV, Malaria and TB within the Immunization, Vaccines & Biologicals Department. It is also responsible for policy development and strengthening the research ethics and regulatory capacity in relation to vaccine trials with a special focus on developing countries. HVI provides technical and secretarial support to the African AIDS Vaccine Programme (AAVP) and ensures its links and coordination of activities with the Regional WHO Office for Africa, WHO Headquarters and key international partners.
Implementation Research (IVR/IMR)
Coordinator - Dr Joachim Hombach. This unit serves as focal point for implementation research on vaccines and immunization. This encompasses research that facilitates the continuing evolution of immunization programmes, in particular as related to immunization schedules, and research to establish the technical evidence base for programmatic decision-making, including the generation of data, tools and practices. The unit also serves as focal point for pneumococcal vaccines and vaccines against flavivirus diseases.