The laboratory of James Crowe Jr., MD, director of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center, received the 2018 Vaccine Industry Excellence Award for Best Academic Research Team at the 18th World Vaccine Congress in Washington, DC, this week.
The congress is an annual meeting of vaccine professionals from industry, academia and nonprofit organizations. The awards are given to recognize outstanding achievements by companies, research teams and individuals in the vaccine industry.
“I was especially proud to see our whole laboratory and research administration group recognized as the leading academic research team in the vaccine industry this year,” said Crowe, the Ann Scott Carell Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology in the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
“The award recognizes that our scientists are not only doing top-tier basic science, but also translating the findings into real interventions that can help people,” he said.
Crowe and his colleagues have developed innovative technologies for isolating and studying antiviral antibodies and for significantly advancing the rational design of vaccines and antibodies. Their research has led to patents and licensures for several neutralizing antibodies and vaccines, some of which are progressing to clinical trials.
With support from The Human Vaccines Project, a public-private partnership, they are leading an international effort to develop a universal influenza vaccine that would protect everyone against all strains of the flu anywhere in the world.
Crowe and Wayne Koff, PhD, president and CEO of The Human Vaccines Project, both spoke at the World Vaccine Congress, which this year attracted about 1,000 attendees.