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Infectious diseases remain major causes of morbidity and mortality in human populations. Prevention of infection or illness by means of immunization is considered one of the greatest public health accomplishments of all times. We are interested in the development and evaluation of a number of vaccines, with a particular emphasis on prevention of respiratory infections. Our group is involved in both the preclinical and clinical stages of vaccine develop-ment, including phase I to phase III clinical trials. Recent research activities have focused on the development of live attenuated and improved inactivated influenza virus vaccines, acellular pertussis vaccines, and pneumococcal vaccines. Major goals for improved vaccines include enhancement of mucosal and cell-mediated immune responses. A number of approaches are being explored to achieve these goals, including topical administration of antigens (oral or intranasal), increasing the dose of antigen, combined topical and parenteral immunization, and evaluation of candidate adjuvants. Other activities currently include evaluation of a live attenuated varicella vaccine for prevention of herpes zoster in the elderly and development of improved immunization regimens against anthrax.

Recent Publications (PubMed)

Amaya RA, Baker CJ, Keitel WA, Edwards MS.  Healthy elderly people lack neutrophil-mediated functional activity to type V group B Streptococcus. 
 J Am Geriatr Soc 2004; 52(1):46-50 (Jan).

Le T, Cherry JD, Chan S-J, Knoll MD, Lee M, Barenkamp S, Bernstein D, Edelman R, Edwards K, Greenberg D, Keitel W, Treanor J, Ward J.  Immune responses and antibody decay following immunization of adolescents and adults with an acellular pertussis vaccine: APERT study.  J Infect Dis 2004; 190:535-544 (Aug).

Gulati U, Kumari K,Wu W, Keitel WA, Air GM.  Amount and avidity of serum antibodies against native glycoproteins and denatured virus after repeated influenza whole-virus vaccination.  Vaccine 3; 23 (11):1414-25, 2005. 

Cherry JD, Chang S-J, Klein D, Lee ML, Barenkamp S, Bernstein D, Edelman R, Edwards K, Greenberg D, Keitel W, Treanor J, Ward J.  Prevalence of antibody to Bordetella pertussis antigens in the sera of 1,793 adolescents and adults.  Clin Infect Dis 39(11):1715-8, 2004.

Oxman M, Levine M, Johnson G, et al.  Prevention of herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia in older adults with a live attenuated varicella-zoster virus vaccine:  Results of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs Cooperative Study #403-the Shingles Prevention Study. NEJM 2005; 352:2271.

Ward J, Cherry J, Chang S-J, Partridge S, Lee H, Treanor J, Greenberg D, Keitel W, Barenkamp S, Bernstein D,  Edelman R, Edwards K, Klein D and the APERT Study Group. Efficacy of an Acellular Pertussis Vaccine Among Adolescents and Adults in a Prospective National Randomized Acellular Pertussis Vaccine Trial (APERT).  NEJM 2005; 353:1.

Keitel WA,  Atmar RL, Cate TR, Petersen NJ, Greenberg SB, Ruben F, Couch RB.  High doses of influenza vaccine are safe and enhance antibody responses in the elderly. (Accepted; Arch Intern Med).

Treanor J, Campbell J, Brady R, Keitel W, Jain V, Innes B and the DMID Influenza Working Group.  Rapid Licensure of a New Inactivated Influenza Vaccine in the US. (Accepted, Human Vaccines, Dec. 2005)