The mission of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center is to improve the lives of people of all ages through fundamental, translational and clinical research leading to the development and implementation of safe and effective vaccines against infectious diseases of global significance.
As one of the leading vaccine centers in the world, the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center is recognized for broad expertise in basic and clinical discovery related to understanding and optimizing disease prevention through vaccination. The VVC hosts faculty who study viral and bacterial pathogens (including pathogens related to biodefense and emerging infectious diseases), and those who study the immune responses to vaccines and their related pathogens at the molecular and cellular level. VVC faculty members also work collaboratively with a number of faculty members in other departments and centers at Vanderbilt.
The VVC was founded on the principle that contemporary vaccine development requires a fundamental understanding of pathogens and how the immune system can be exploited to combat pathogens.
The VVC conducts translational studies, with a two-way interaction of basic and clinical scientists who design innovative new vaccines.
The VVC is a multi-disciplinary center that facilitates interactions among Vanderbilt investigators throughout the campus who perform research related to vaccines
The VVC identifies new funding opportunities and facilitate collaborations that lead to new program projects, grants, contracts and pharmaceutical research support;
The VVC nurtures and supports innovative research that continues to produce patent applications and “spin-off” technology development for promising discoveries, and rapid preclinical development of promising vaccine candidates and immunoassays.