Almost a third of all deaths worldwide are causedby infectious diseases, with developing countries being the hardest hit. Althoughvaccines can be effective against such diseases, vaccine development is alengthy and costly business. To obtain a return on their investment, companiesoften sell vaccines at prices that are beyond the reach of developing nations.Moreover, the dire economic situation of many of these countries gives companieslittle incentive to develop vaccines specifically for the developing world.

In October 1997, the United Nations Development Programme, recognizingthe need for more research in this area, launched the International VaccineInstitute (IVI) to speed up the introduction of vaccines to developing countries.The Pacific Rim was targeted as a potential location for the new independent,non-profit institute because it had countries with the necessary scientificinfrastructure but was also close to poorer countries, says John Clemens,who became IVI director in July 1999. The South Korean government made a successfulbid to host the new institute, which is located in temporary accommodationat Seoul National University.

The IVI is holding off on most of its laboratory activities until constructionof a new research facility and vaccine pilot-plant is complete in 2002. Consequently,much of the institute's effort has so far centred on clinical and field activitiesin the applied vaccine sciences. The initial focus has been on tackling Asianpublic-health problems, such as enteric diseases such as enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, shigellosis, typhoid fever and cholera; respiratoryinfections such as Haemophilus influenzae type B and pneumoccocal disease;and vector-borne diseases such as Japanese encephalitis. But Clemens, whohas worked on vaccines for developing countries for 20 years, hopes soon toturn attention to sub-Saharan Africa with the IVI's Diseases of the Most Impoverishedproject. This will target cholera, dysentery and typhoid fever with supportfrom a five-year $40-million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

IVI staff are currently conducting some basic research into Shigella vaccines — “a very appropriate niche for an institute likeours”, says Clemens. Shigella attracts very little industrial interest,he says, although it causes more than one million deaths each year in developingcountries. The IVI has no plans to develop vaccines commercially, but willstrengthen ties with industry and other public-sector organizations to pushpromising candidates through to clinical practice.

At present the institute has fewer than 40 staff, but eventually Clemensexpects to have 200, a quarter of whom will be scientists. He hopes soon torecruit a deputy director of the institute for the laboratory science programme.Most of the scientists recruited to date are biostatisticians, clinical epidemiologistsand data managers. As the new laboratory space nears completion, the IVI willalso begin recruiting staff with expertise in vaccine production, processresearch, molecular genetics (particularly microbial genetics), human immunologyand microbiology.

Scientific appointments are for fixed terms — something that Clemenssays is typical of international research institutes. Clemens himself is ona five-year contract, on leave from the US National Institutes of Health.Jobs in international institutes tend to attract people who “see theuniqueness of the professional opportunity for productivity”, says Clemens.“Most people who come to work at an international institute would notdo so with the idea that this would be their life-long career,” he says.

Credit: JORGEN SCHYTTE/STILL