Vaccines and immunotherapies have had a major positive impact on public health world-wide through disease prevention and treatment that can be measured in millions of lives saved. Despite the successes, we still face major challenges in vaccine and immunotherapy development for global, neglected, or newly emerging diseases and in our understanding of the immunological determinants of disease protection. To address these issues, the Institut Pasteur is harnessing its collective expertise that includes immunologists, microbiologists, virologists, structural biologists, epidemiologists, vaccine and immunotherapy specialists, in collaboration with the Pasteur Network, Institut Pasteur Medical Center (CMIP), “Research Applications and Industrial Relations Department” (DARRI), and external partners to launch the Center for Vaccinology and Immunotherapy (CVI).
The CVI, created in 2024, addresses two major areas that require immediate attention:
- New vaccine candidates and/or immunotherapies are needed to combat global diseases for which current approaches so far have failed, for neglected diseases, for new emerging infectious diseases, and for diseases with increased risk for antimicrobial resistance.
- How many currently used vaccines provide protection against disease remains poorly understood. The immunological mechanisms that operate in different tissue sites (systemic, mucosal) vary in individuals and a better understanding can help to design more effective vaccines and to identify potential non-responders that should receive additional medical attention.
MISSION
The primary mission of the CVI is to coordinate scientific efforts to conduct innovative and transformative vaccinology and immunotherapy research and development to fight infectious diseases, tackle resistant pathogens and to be prepared for the next pandemic threat. To accomplish this mission, several specific aims have been identified:
- To align scientific efforts toward a unified vaccine and immunotherapy objective.
- To develop pathogen-tailored strategies (e.g., mucosal immunity/vaccines, innovative vaccine technologies, etc.).
- To define a robust and sustainable strategy for vaccines and immunotherapies within pandemic preparedness initiatives.
- To streamline institutional processes for vaccine and immunotherapy research and development to minimize bureaucratic delays.
- To promote collaboration within the Pasteur network and foster international partnerships.
- To work closely with clinical partners to gain insights from analysis of human samples and real-world infection studies.
- To secure funding to ensure the continuity of vaccine and immunotherapy research and CVI initiatives.
SCIENTIFIC OBJECTIVES
A variety of vaccine platforms are currently in use — live attenuated vaccines, adjuvanted subunit protein vaccines, VLP-based immunogens, viral vectors, LNP-mRNA vaccines — providing an array of options for preventing and treating infectious diseases. Each of these platforms has the potential to stimulate the immune system in unique ways. This creates the need to understand how vaccines function in order to innovate. However, our understanding of the specific Correlates of Protection (CoP) for most human infectious diseases remains limited. Reverse vaccinology approaches provide insights into vaccine protection mechanisms for specific pathogens. We can further enhance our understanding of immune response determinants through advanced immune profiling of vaccinated individuals and patients with infectious diseases. Identifying biomarkers and immune correlates of protection will be crucial in accelerating vaccine design and fostering innovation.
Institut Pasteur has a distinguished history of vaccine development to improve global health, and about 50 research teams work actively on vaccine- and/or immunotherapy-related projects. Multiple vaccine candidates are currently under clinical evaluation, either licensed to commercialization partners or sponsored by Institut Pasteur. Building on this broad expertise and by integrating fundamental, translational, and innovative science on campus and through the Pasteur network, the CVI pursues the following objectives:
- To identify novel approaches, targets for vaccination using the principles of reverse vaccinology to more accurately inform on antigen design.
- To apply new tools, technologies and innovating models in the study of pathogen infection and to improve vaccine and immunotherapy efficacy.
- To innovate in the field of vaccine-induced mucosal immunity to limit pathogen transmission.
- To enhance our immunological understanding of vaccines mechanisms of actions (MOA) in humans through a precision Immuno-monitoring and profiling platform.
- To improve vaccine protection durability and discover relevant biomarkers.
- To disseminate our scientific discoveries for prevention and treatment of threatening infectious diseases.
ACTIVITIES
Nucleate activities for vaccinology and immunotherapy, to foster interdisciplinary collaboration integrating basic science, translational research and innovation.
Develop clinical research in vaccinology and immunotherapy to pursue programs to decipher vaccine responsiveness in normal and immunosuppressed individuals by integrating different approaches and linking the Vaccination Center at the Institut Pasteur Medical Center (CMIP), he Labex Milieu Intérieur (healthy cohort studies using complementary approaches), immuno-monitoring and the Center for Translational Research. A long-standing collaboration with the Clinical Investigation Center (CIC) Cochin-Pasteur involves vaccine clinical trials aimed at improving better tolerated and more effective vaccines. Future developments include Controlled Human Infection Model (CHIM) centers where human challenge studies will be performed to significantly deepen our understanding of human immune responses and tolerability, offering a relevant approach to identifying biomarkers of durability and reactogenicity.
Facilitate participation to national vaccine and immunotherapy networks (I-REIVAC – French Innovative Clinical Research Network in Vaccinology; VRI – Vaccine Research Institute) by identifying key research areas and affiliated teams and helping to coordinate scientific efforts, develop new technologies for precision immunomonitoring.
Promote and support teaching activities (such as the Institut Pasteur International Vaccinology Course and the Vaccinology MOOC) in collaboration with the Education Direction.
Accelerate development of vaccine and immunotherapy candidates from research to clinical trials and to engage industrial partners (in collaboration with the DARRI).
These aims and measures are embedded in ongoing world-wide vaccine and immunotherapy efforts and carried out in collaboration with leading institutes and initiatives, including the European Vaccine Initiative (EVI), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness (CEPI), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Wellcome Trust, European Commission, HERA, and diverse industrial partners.
