Human Vaccines Project collaborates on vaccine science research

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the San Diego Supercomputer Center have used gene sequencing and computing techniques to see how the body’s immune system prepares to fight off infection, which could improve detection, treatment and prevention of autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, and cancer.
Wayne Koff, CEO of the Human Vaccines Project, which led the research, said: “Due to recent technological advances, we now have an unprecedented opportunity to harness the power of the human immune system to fundamentally transform human health. Decoding the human immune system is central to tackling the global challenges of infectious and non-communicable diseases, from cancer to Alzheimer’s to pandemic influenza. This study marks a key step toward understanding how the human immune system works, setting the stage for developing next-generation health products through the convergence of genomics and immune monitoring technologies with machine learning and artificial intelligence.”
The Human Vaccines Project is a nonprofit public-private partnership of academic research centers, industry, nonprofits and government agencies focused on research to advance next-generation vaccines and immunotherapies. This study was part of its Human Immunome Program, which aims to decode the genetic underpinnings of the immune system. Robert Sinkovits, San Diego Supercomputer Center, said: “The Human Vaccines Project allows us to study problems at a larger scale than would be normally possible in a single lab and it also brings together groups that might not normally collaborate.”