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Current Emerging Infections Research Conducted by the Viral Respiratory Pathogens Research Unit Contract to Baylor College of Medicine

• Development of improved inactivated influenza vaccines
  • Value of increased vaccine dose
  • Optimization of mucosal immunization
  • Development of a T cell vaccine for cross-reacting immunity
  • Assessment of the potential of cross-reacting M2 antibody
  • Genetic determinants of immune responses to vaccines
  • Vaccines for immunocompromised persons
• Development of vaccines for pandemic influenza
  • Clinical trials of influenza H5N1, H7N7 and H9N2 vaccines*
• Research program on SARS coronavirus infection and disease
  • Pathogenesis of SARS coronavirus infection and disease*
  • Development of a virus-like particle vaccine for SARS*
  • Clinical trials of SARS vaccines*

*Laboratory research component is conducted at UTMB through a subcontract from BCM Interpandemic Influenza

Influenza is the most common emerging infection among humans. An epidemic occurs annually and is attributable to emergence of new and novel influenza viruses. This circumstance of an annual epidemic caused by newly emerging virus infections is known as interpandemic epidemic influenza. Studies conducted at Baylor College of Medicine in the past provided proof that an influenza epidemic occurs annually; these studies also described the major medical impact of the epidemics.

Investigators in the Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine are currently studying influenza infections, disease, and vaccines so as to better understand the needs and options for developing means for control of interpandemic human influenza. Current projects are:

• Developing new peptide vaccines for induction of both humoral and cell mediated immune responses against influenza viruses that can prevent or modify infections
• Identifying the optimal way to induce mucosal immune responses to influenza viruses that can increase resistance at the site where infection initially occurs
• Searching human genes for single nucleotide polymorphisms that determine the pattern and magnitude of immune response to influenza virus or provide an explanation for illness and its severity
• Determining the role of immune responses directed toward the different proteins of influenza, including new candidates for a beneficial role
• Performing clinical trials of new and experimental vaccines as part of a program for development of improved influenza vaccines
• Developing improved methods for quantitating cell mediated immune function in humans
• Immunogenicity of a high dosage rDNA HA vaccine in stem cell transplant patients

Recent Publications (PubMed)

Couch RB. An Overview of Serum Antibody Responses to Influenza Virus Antigens. In: Brown F., Haaheim L.R., Wood J.M., Schild G.C., eds., Developments in Biologicals: Laboratory Correlates of Immunity to Influenza, Karger, 115:25-30, 2003.

Couch RB, Winokur P, Edwards KM, Black S, Atmar RL, Stapleton JT, Kissner JM, Shinefield H, Denny TN, Bybel MJ, Newman FK, Yan L.  Reducing the dose of smallpox vaccine reduces vaccine-associated morbidity without reducing vaccination success rates or immune responses.  J Infect Dis 2007; 195:826-32.

Mbawuike IM, Zang Y, Couch RB.  Humoral and cell-mediated immune responses of humans to inactivated influenza vaccine with or without QS21 adjuvant.  Vaccine 2007; 25:3263-9.

Atmar RL, Keitel WA, Cate TR, Munoz FM, Ruben F, Couch RB.  A dose-response evaluation of inactivated influenza vaccine given intranasally and intramuscularly to healthy young adults.  Vaccine, 2007; 25:5367-73.

Mbawuike IN, Zhang Y, Couch RB.  Control of mucosal virus infection by influenza nucleoprotein-specific CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes.  Resp Res 2007; 8:44.  

Couch RB, Winokur P, Brady R, Belshe R, Chen WH, Cate TR, Sigurdardottir B, Hoeper A, Graham IL, Edelman R, He F, Nino D, Capellan J. Ruben FL.  Safety and immunogenicity of a high dosage trivalent influenza vaccine among elderly subjects.  Vaccine 2007; 25:7656-63.

Keitel WA, Atmar RL, Nino D, Cate TR, Couch RB.  Increasing doses of an inactivated influenza A/H1N1 Vaccine induce increasing levels of cross-reacting antibody to subsequent, antigenically different, variants.  J Infect Dis 2008; 1016-18.