- Overview
- Objectives
- Services
- Research Projects
- Contact Details
The goal of this unit is to serve the purposes of national and international research in virology and vaccine development field with a focus on viral pathogens that are of importance and relevance to the national public health. The unit focuses on vaccine development from the bench in vitro evaluation to animal testing and human clinical trials. Vaccines against MERS-CoV are among the priority of this unit with collaborations from a number of international institutes to further evaluate a number of MERS-CoV vaccines in animals and humans. Different vaccine platforms are under developments in the unit such as DNA vectors, adenoviral vectors and poxviral vectors. These platforms are being utilized to develop vaccines against viral and bacterial pathogens relevant to the national public health. The unit also conducts and supports immunology, serology and genetic research that are related to vaccine development.
- To serve as national public health research lab for infectious diseases and cancer vaccines.
- To develop vaccines against nationally important pathogens (such as MERS-CoV) or emerging pathogens (such as COVID-19).
- To support clinical trials for vaccine development.
- To support animal testing for vaccine development.
- To provide vaccine R&D platforms and technologies.
- To enhance research on BSL3 pathogens that have importance for vaccine development.
- To further support vaccinology related research, such as:
- New rapid diagnostic techniques and technologies.
- New therapeutics for emerging pathogens.
- Immunology research of emerging pathogens in humans and animals.
- Enhancing our understanding of viral diseases and vaccine development.
- To support postgraduate student in the field of vaccinology (immunology and virology).
- Serological testing for MERS-CoV
- DNA cloning for vaccine viral vectors.
Main Focus Projects
- Evaluation of MERS vaccines in camels
- Evaluation of MERS vaccines in phase I clinical trials
- Development of new vaccines for MERS
- Development of new vaccines for COVID-19
- National serological testing for MERS-CoV
- National serological testing for COVID-19
Notable Collaborative Projects
- Elucidating immune responses in chronic diseased COVD-19 patients
- Immunological characterization of COVID patients
- Immunological characterization of MERS patient in therapeutic clinical trials
- Cancer cell vaccines
- MERS Therapeutic and Diagnostic Approaches
- Antimicrobial peptides for treatment of MERS
- Sero-epidemiology study on MERS among camel contacts
Current Postgraduate Projects
- Molecular and serological evaluation of MERS-CoV in Dromedary Camels at Slaughterhouses in Riyadh
- Construction of multivalent MVA viral vector vaccine development
- Email: KAIMRC-VDU@ngha.med.sa
- Extension:84-94381/94552