International Vaccine Institute, Texas Children's and Baylor partner for vaccine research

The International Vaccine Institute (IVI), the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, and Baylor College of Medicine’s National School of Tropical Medicine signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote and further academic research collaborations.
 
The collaboration is envisioned to include: (1) exchange of scientists between institutions; (2) collaborative research in vaccine development; (3) the sharing of scholarly and scientific materials, and (4) steps toward establishing an international collaborating office of IVI in a formal academic relationship with the Section of Pediatric Tropical Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics at Baylor.
 
Dr. Jerome Kim, Director General of IVI, said: “I am extremely pleased to announce a new partnership agreement between IVI and Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine, two institutions that have been at the forefront of advancing and advocating for a global, equitable, and collective effort for COVID-19 vaccine development and access. This collaboration will give significant momentum to IVI’s work on vaccines for global health, and we look forward to accelerating vaccine research in poverty-associated infectious diseases with the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development.”
 
“Since 1996 when I first visited the IVI in Seoul, I’ve deeply admired its vision and commitment to vaccines for global health,” said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor and co-director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development. “We are long-standing brothers and sisters in this space, and it’s especially meaningful for me to cement this connection.”
 
“Expanding our global reach alongside IVI will open a wide range of opportunities for our center and most importantly for our team of scientists,” said Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi, also co-director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development and associate dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor. “We will be able to share and learn from each other and lead new and innovative ideas in vaccine development for many neglected and emerging infectious diseases.”