Dr. John Robbins from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), widely known for his leadership in the development of polysacchride protein conjugate vaccines, visited the IVI as a Scholar in Residence from October 23 – 27.

Dr. Robbins, currently Chief of the Laboratory of Developmental and Molecular Immunity at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the US NIH, gave IVI scientists hands-on advice as well as  a series of public lectures.

Dr. Robbins has made many breakthrough achievements during his scientific career, which spans five decades, focusing on developing vaccines against childhood diseases. He is known as the father of conjugate technology, which has led to the development of vaccines against bacterial diseases, including Haemophilus Influenzae type B (Hib) and Streptococcus pneumoniae, which – unlike older versions of these vaccines – are effective in infants.

He also has developed a typhoid Vi conjugate vaccine and an improved pertussis vaccine, among others.  Under an agreement with the US NIH, the IVI is now developing a Vi conjugate vaccine against typhoid fever for use in poor countries, based on the conjugate technology developed by his laboratory.

Dr. Robbins was the fourth scientist to participate in IVI´s Scholars in Residence program, which involves week-long visits to the IVI by vaccine experts. The program, sponsored by Merck Vaccines, aims to facilitate exchanges between the Institute and the world´s leading centers of vaccinology.
 

The following are excerpts from an interview with Dr. Robbins.

"The simple thing that vaccines have done is change the world. I don’t think people understand how vaccines have changed us, because we have learned to [take for granted] a miracle. I will tell you about this miracle.

I am an old man. My aunt died of diphtheria in New York City in 1900. Now there is [almost] no diphtheria. Pertussis [whooping cough] has almost disappeared. In the 1930s and 40s – not so long ago – pertussis was a major cause of death in all ages. Now bacterial meningitis is starting to disappear, [as well as] pneumonia in industrialized countries, due to the introduction of Hib and pneumoccocal vaccines. And vaccines [continue] to have a very important role in public health in this new century.

Now why does IVI work in this field? Because it involves a very complicated process to bring a new vaccine from the laboratories to manufacturers and then to the government for introduction into public health programs. It involves politics, economics, and education.

Undertaking the steps involved to translate science into health should be the work of the IVI and I think it will be. And that helps explain the work of the IVI: to make the bridge between [vaccine] discovery and usage."

There are now several vaccines that prevent common forms of cancer and are very safe. The first cancer vaccine was against hepatitis B virus. Patients who have chronic hepatitis B infection can get cancer of the liver (hepatoma). It has now been shown in two countries that vaccinating the population against hepatitis B prevents hepatoma, which is one of the world’s most common tumors.

The second [cancer] vaccine is the HPV (human papilloma virus) vaccine that prevents cervical cancer – the most common cancer among women in developing countries. This is a new vaccine.  As well as preventing cervical cancer, I think there is a good chance that this vaccine will also prevent some other tumors in men and women, such as  cancer of the prostate in men, and breast cancer in women. HPV vaccine to me is as exciting as polio vaccines were.

The new-generation  vaccine against typhoid based upon encapsulated Salmonella typhi, [the bacterium that] causes typhoid fever, [can also prevent cancer.] This Vi polysaccharide vaccine will prevent cancer of the gallbladder and biliary tract. I [find this] exciting.