The Leiden Vaccine Group | Accelerate vaccine development

The Leiden Vaccine Group unites partners in the field of vaccine development in the Leiden area to accelerate vaccine development. Recognizing the importance of integration and alignment of knowledge and goals to create highly effective vaccines for generations to come is central to the Leiden Vaccine Group ambition. The group leverages knowledge from different partners to jointly bridge traditional gaps in vaccine development in industry and academia, creating an open innovation network.

Vision:
Vaccines to ensure healthy lives for all

Mission:
Accelerate, improve and promote the development and implementation of vaccines to impact global health

The vaccinatiepoli LUMC, situated at the heart of the LUMC academic hospital, is a hub for vaccine use and administration to a wide array of patients. Specialised in complex vaccine care, the vaccinatiepoli distributes vaccines to immunocompromised patients, long term travellers, allergic patients and provides vaccination advice to travellers, patients and their physicians from within the LUMC and the whole Randstad region.

With a top-notch quality system, the vaccinatiepoli LUMC can accommodate complex phase 1 or 2 clinical trials with novel vaccines as well as novel devices or administration schedules.

Professor Leo Visser
Infectious disease specialist

Dr. Meta Roestenberg
Head of Controlled Human Infection Center

At the Controlled Human infection Centre, a multidisciplinary team of researchers and physicians have developed and exploit a wide array of controlled human infection models to speed up vaccine development.

Within the CHIC there is the technical expertise needed to perform preliminary vaccine efficacy estimates with controlled human infection models, but also appreciate the complex ethical environment and the position of controlled human infections in the vaccine development pipeline.

Within the Leiden University Center for Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anna Roukens leads research focussed on the optimisation of vaccine delivery. Under her guidance, fractional dosing regimens for COVID-19 vaccines have been tested with the potential to spare millions of doses of vaccines for pandemic preparedness and global access. Following research of the Roukens’ group, the WHO now recommends implementation of a fractional dosing strategy in yellow fever outbreaks. In addition, her group investigates the use of novel vaccine delivery strategies, devices and dosing schedules for individuals with impaired immunity such as elderly and immunocompromised patients (e.g. HIV infection or organ transplants). Together with LUCID best immunologist, she strives to unravel vaccine-induced immunity to more rationally design alternative vaccine delivery strategies in order to serve all of the world’s populations.

Within the Centre for Human Drug Research, the development of new drugs and vaccines for novel, emerging infections or existing infections of global importance is one of the main therapeutic areas that the center is working on.

Using CHDRs state-of-the-art facilities, quality management and regulatory team, CHDRs infectious diseases therapeutic area is an important player in the field of infectious diseases early-stage clinical trials.

Dr. Ingrid de Visser-Kamerling
Associate director CHDR

Dr. Gideon Kersten
Professor by special appointment in vaccine development

At the division of Biotherapeutics the pharmaceutical aspects of vaccines and vaccination are studied. Biotherapeutics aims to develop:

formulations for vaccines to improve efficacy, safety and stability,
nanoparticulate delivery systems for antigens and molecular adjuvants
improved and safer administration routes and devices

Within Biotherapeutics chemical, immunological and physico-chemical expertise and infrastructure are available to achieve these goals.

Controlled human infection models, in vivo/ex vivo murine and human models and functional assays are operational to investigate vaccine-mediated immune cell priming, effector mechanisms and immunological memory. Studied and employed vaccine platforms against numerous viral and malignant diseases consist of synthetic vaccines (peptide, protein, RNA, DNA) and live attenuated vaccines (adenoviral, VLPs, genetically modified sporozites). Molecular and cell-based technologies are available to aid vaccine research, as well as high-tech immunomics platforms to help identify the mechanisms of immunity and correlates of protection. In a collaboration with Centre for Human Drug Research (CHDR), Leiden Academic Center for Drug Research (LACDR), the Interdivisional GMP facility and the Academic Pharma theme, the LUMC is able to translate vaccine concepts into first phase clinical trial to demonstrate safety and immunogenicity in healthy volunteers or patients.

Mechanisms of vaccine-induced immunity

Within the Immunology department, the T Cell Regulation group headed by Dr. Ramon Arens is focused on deciphering the molecular and cellular regulation of T-cell responses and aims to use this knowledge to inform and improve rational design of vaccines and other types of immunotherapy against cancer and viral diseases. In addition, his group investigates the interplay of antibodies and T cells to confer vaccine-induced immunity. To dissect the mechanisms of effective immunotherapy, a combination of high-dimensional profiling techniques (spectral flow cytometry, single-cell RNA sequencing, proteomics, metabolomics) and molecular technology (CRISPR-Cas gene editing, MHC multimer technology) in murine and human model systems is used.

Dr. Ramon Arens

Dr. Simone A Joosten
Professor in Immunology at the Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands

Dr. Simone A Joosten is an Associate Professor in Immunology at the Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands. Having a biomedical background with a specialization in immunology, my main interest is to understand the human immune system in health and disease. Over the last decade my group has been working on host immunity towards tuberculosis (TB), with a strong translational focus. We consider it pivotal to assess the sum of immune responses rather than isolated components and ideally assess these from a functional perspective. Vaccination is an ideal model to investigate early immune activation, which we consider essential for outcome. We have been interested in innate and adaptive cellular as well as humoral immunity towards Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). We aim to combine clinical data and samples with functional immunological characterization of the responses.

In the LUMC, our studies are aimed at developing interventions against human malaria; both by examining and genetically engineering the most lethal human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, and by exploiting rodent models of malaria parasites (Plasmodium berghei, P. yoelii). The focus of our research is on understanding the molecular interactions between host and parasite associated with causes of malarial pathology and correlates of protective immunity. A major area of interest is to generate live-but-genetically-attenuated parasites to make a highly effective vaccine that can be used to eradicate malaria. The group is also very actively working on methods to deliver and enhance vaccine potency as well as attempting to characterize mechanisms of protective immunity engendered by the attenuated parasites. As a part of the Leiden vaccine group, we have the unique opportunity to translate our findings from pre-clinical studies to clinical trials and use the knowledge emerging from the trials to further improve malaria vaccination.

Blandine Franke-Fayard

HypoVax Global Knowledge Hub

Vaccines have shown low and variable efficacy as well as immunogenicity across populations and geographical areas. Lower performance of some vaccines, which can be termed “vaccine hypo-responsiveness”, has been observed particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared to high income countries, as well as in poorer rural areas compared to richer urban areas within LMICs.

To better understand vaccine hypo-responsiveness, a knowledge hub focused on understanding variations in vaccine responses across geographical areas and populations is being established by Leiden University Center for Infectious Diseases in collaboration with global partners. The hub – HypoVax Global, aims to address the central question of why weaker responses to some vaccines are seen in some regions compared to others. The hub aims to bring researchers from around the world together to make connections and form a strong network. It is envisaged that the hub will be an avenue for members to share expertise, methodologies, experiments, equipment and data. The ultimate goal is to ensure that researchers working together find immunological and metabolic interventions to reverse vaccine hypo-responsiveness and ensure better vaccine performance worldwide.

Professor Maria Yazdanbakhsh
Initiator, HypoVax Global Knowledge Hub

Dr. Abena S. Amoah
Lead, HypoVax Global Knowledge Hub

Dr. Simon Jochems
Interested in human immune responses to vaccines and infections

Dr. Simon Jochems is interested in human immune responses to vaccines and infections. His group applies systems biology approaches to understand the innate and adaptive determinants of vaccine-induced immunity. By closely collaborating with clinicians and using minimally-invasive sampling methods his group is able to study the immune system not just in blood but also in tissues, such as the nasal mucosa and more recently lymph nodes. This combination of advanced immunological analyses with unique clinical samples is highly translational. Other focuses of his group are understanding host-pathogen interactions at the respiratory tract mucosa, and understanding the heterogeneity of the immune system, in particular in vulnerable groups

B cells encode diverse antibodies that can target several pathogens we get exposed to during our lifetime. Antibody diversity forms a pillar of adaptive immunity that is leveraged effectively during the immune response to successful vaccines. Yet, we do not fully understand why some vaccines work and some don’t. And why we need booster vaccination at varied intervals. Within Leiden University Center for Infectious Diseases, Dr. Rajagopal Murugan focuses on studying the protective quality of antibody response to infectious diseases such as malaria, schistosomiasis and COVID-19 in patients as well as controlled human infection studies. In the group, he combines advanced single-cell technologies that captures antibody repertoire with monoclonal antibody production platforms that profiles antibody affinity, epitope specificity and protective quality. His overall goal is to uncover how protective memory B cells are successfully selected and use this knowledge to discover therapeutic monoclonals and aid information-driven vaccine development.

Dr. Rajagopal Murugan

Prof. Dr. Annemieke Geluk
Chemist and Immunologist

Trained as a chemist and immunologist, Prof. Dr. Annemieke Geluk leads research within the Leiden University Center for Infectious Diseases, that is focused on detection and prevention of leprosy, a poverty-associated, infectious disease that is still a considerable health problem in low and middle income countries.

Our research includes large, randomized controlled BCG vaccination trials targeted at those at risk of developing leprosy in endemic areas involving clinical and immunological follow-up for more than a decade.

From these RCTs we have learned that immunoprophylaxis by BCG vaccination of household contacts of leprosy patients reduces the number of new cases, but can also cause rapid development of leprosy and even trigger leprosy reactions, the major cause of leprosy-related permanent nerve damage. Current research aims at identification of immuneparameters that pose risk factors for vaccination in Mycobacterium leprae exposed individuals.

Within the Leiden University Center of Infectious Diseases, we investigate the immunogenicity of vaccines in immunocompromised patients. Because immunocompromised patients are at highest risk for severe disease after infection, these patients would benefit most from effective vaccination. Unfortunately, immunocompromised patients often fail to mount an adequate immune response upon vaccination. In close collaboration with the immunologists at LUCID we aim to dissect the immune response, to gain insights in which biological pathways are perturbed in the immunocompromised patients compared to non-immunocompromised individuals. This will render us new information to adjust vaccines to improve immunogenicity in the immunocompromised population. Furthermore, our research may lead to optimisation of vaccine delivery methods, vaccination schedules or dosing of vaccines in these patients. Our goal is to offer immunocompromised patients the best possible protection against infectious diseases by optimal use of vaccination in this vulnerable patient population.

Dr. H. Jolink

Ir. Ronald Kompier MSc
Managing Director Vaccine Consultancy

Vaccine Consultancy is an independent bioscience consultancy and interim management company providing flexible (consultancy) services for the development, licensure, manufacturing and business development of vaccines. Vaccine Consultancy has a global coverage and works with companies and institutions all over the world, e.g. Europe, United States, Asia and Africa.

Biotech Training Facility is a unique training center offering comprehensive theoretical and hands-on training in GMP, quality, and the development and manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals, e.g. vaccines.

The majority of our training courses take place in a realistic production environment, utilizing our fully equipped laboratories, cleanrooms, and technical areas. This practical approach enables participants to immediately apply their knowledge, making our trainings highly effective. Biotech Training Facility has a unique training style, featuring interactive workshops and educational games that add excitement to even the most theoretical topics.

Our training courses are aimed at professionals and students in various roles within the life sciences and health sector, including operators, laboratory staff, validation experts, QA professionals, QPs, auditors, inspectors, regulatory affairs officers, engineers, scientists, and vendors

Ir. Ronald Kompier MSc
Managing Director Sichting Biotech Training Facility Leiden

Contact information

For more information please contact us by mail or contact form.

Mail: info@leidenvaccinegroup.com