Texas Children's Global Health Vaccine Development
Development of The World’s COVID-19 Vaccine
Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine announced on December 28, 2021 that CORBEVAX™, a protein sub-unit COVID-19 Vaccine, whose technology was created and engineered at its Center for Vaccine Development, has received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to launch in India with other underserved countries to follow.
Dubbed “The World’s COVID-19 Vaccine”, it uses a traditional recombinant protein-based technology that will enable its production at large scales making it widely accessible to inoculate the global population. The initial construct and production process of the vaccine antigen was developed at Texas Children’s Center for Vaccine Development, led by co-directors Drs. Maria Elena Bottazzi and Peter Hotez and in-licensed from BCM Ventures, Baylor College of Medicine’s integrated commercialization team, to Hyderabad-based vaccine and pharmaceutical company Biological E. Limited (BE).
Learn more about “The World’s COVID-19 Vaccine” here:
Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development is now in its third decade as one of the leading vaccine development centers in the world. Established in 2000 as the Sabin Vaccine Institute Product Development Partnership in Washington, DC, it relocated in 2010 to the Texas Medical Center - the world’s largest medical center – in Houston. In 2011, Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine established the National School of Tropical Medicine to address the urgent need to improve healthcare strategies for the prevention, treatment and diagnosis of emerging and neglected tropical diseases globally.
The Vaccine Center has led and revolutionized national and international efforts in solving emerging pandemics, neglected tropical diseases, and other threats to global health. Our researchers are world leaders in infectious disease research and translating those discoveries to real-world solutions . In addition, we are actively involved in science communications and public outreach in several national and international advocacy, diplomacy, and educational initiatives and partnerships to jointly develop and build capacity for new vaccines globally.
Photo credit: Baylor College of Medicine
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Thank you for supporting the Texas Children’s Center for Vaccine Development. Your gift helps us develop and provide life-saving vaccines and global health technologies to improve the lives of individuals everywhere.
Our Mission
To Find Ways To Track, Identify, And Treat:
- New and emerging infectious diseases of pandemic or epidemic proportions (e.g., COVID-19, SARS and MERS) with specific and universal vaccines;
- Chronic neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), a group of parasitic, viral, bacterial, protozoal, and other infections, that affect >1.4 billion of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people and contribute to ill-health and disabilities, particularly among children; and
- Brain disorders and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Currently, the vaccine center includes:
- 20,000 square feet facility with state-of-the-art product development facilities
- > 50 scientific and technical staff
- 40 global partnerships with leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies
- Clinical trial sites in us and several countries in south & central America, Africa, and Asia
Leadership
Dr. Peter J. Hotez
Co-Director, Texas Children’s Center for Vaccine Development
Texas Children’s Endowed Chair of Tropical Pediatrics
Dean, National School of Tropical Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine
Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi
Co-Director, Texas Children’s Center for Vaccine Development
Associate Dean, National School of Tropical Medicine
Section Head, Pediatric Tropical Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine
Major Accomplishments
Vaccine Center Researchers Are Leaders In:
Developing low-cost, safe and effective vaccines and innovative technologies to fight infectious diseases around the globe.
- The first low-cost, safe and highly effective COVID-19 vaccine for global access and innovative vaccines for other coronavirus infections like SARS and MERS. We have partnered with Biological E Limited (Bio E), a leading Indian biopharmaceutical company, for clinical trials, mass-production and public distribution of this COVID-19 vaccine, which is currently in Phase 3 trials.
- The first vaccine for human hookworm infection. Currently in Phase 2 trials.
- The first vaccine for intestinal schistosomiasis. Currently in Phase 2 trials.
- The first vaccine for Chagas disease. Currently in Phase 1 trials.
- Vaccines against onchocerciasis, leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, West Nile Virus, and Chikungunya as well as a single vaccine to prevent infections by three major soil-transmitted helminths - hookworm, Ascaris and Trichuris - are currently in different stages of preclinical development.
Vaccine education and outreach and outreach and actively reshaping the local, regional, national and international dialogues on vaccine policy, advocacy and diplomacy.
- CVD Co-Director Dr. Peter Hotez brokered an agreement between the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to jointly build and strengthen capacity to develop vaccines for infections emerging from conflict zones in the Middle East.
- Drs. Hotez and Bottazzi frequently appear on television (including BBC, CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC), radio, and in newspaper interviews.
- Dr. Hotez is the author of four single-author books:
- Forgotten People, Forgotten Diseases (ASM Press)
- Blue Marble Health: An Innovative Plan to Fight Diseases of the Poor amid Wealth (Johns Hopkins University Press)
- Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel’s Autism (Johns Hopkins University Press)
- Preventing the Next Pandemic: Vaccine Diplomacy in a Time of Anti-Science (Johns Hopkins University Press) - forthcoming
- CVD Co-Directors Drs. Peter Hotez and Maria Elena Botazzi have lead several vaccine education efforts for local, regional, national and global audiences.
Building a robust Vaccine Emergency Response Initiative (VERI) for Emerging and Neglected Diseases .
- We have the unique capability to link the assessment of global infectious and tropical disease threats, including those in Texas and along the Gulf Coast, and to partner with investigators across the world to identify promising new platform technology (such as RNA therapeutics) as well as vaccine targets and relevant laboratory animal models.
- In addition to coordinating response against emergent viral threats, the VERI initiative will focus on developing vaccines to several neglected tropical diseases that affect billions worldwide.
Partnering to conduct clinical trials, manufacture and distribute newly-developed safe and effective vaccines globally.
We partner with leading non-profits, pharmaceutical and biotech companies, including: Sigma Millipore, Bio E, PATH and IDRI.
Partners
Featured Stories
Texas Children’s CORBEVAX COVID-19 Vaccine receives Emergency Use Authorization
Texas Children’s and Baylor College of Medicine announced on December 28, that CORBEVAX, a protein sub-unit COVID-19 Vaccine, whose technology was created and engineered at its Center for Vaccine Development (CVD), has received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to launch first in India, with other underserved countries to follow.
Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine: Answering the big questions
As a vaccine developer and researcher, I’m incredibly encouraged by the progress made thus far as we continue in our fight against COVID-19. Following the recent news regarding this third vaccine, I wanted to share some of the most common questions about Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine.
Botswana, Baylor College of Medicine renew partnership
Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Botswana renewed their longstanding partnership last week during a visit from the president of the Republic of Botswana to Houston and the College.
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