Research That Makes A Difference
HPV Vaccine
This vaccine was largely developed as Dr. Robert Rose's Ph.D. thesis in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology under Dr. Richard Reichman's mentorship. While most Ph.D. theses sit on a shelf, Rose's led to the patenting of the technology for HPV vaccine development using virus-like particles.
Vaccines based on this research
Meningitis Vaccine
URMC Faculty Member David H. Smith developed the first vaccine for Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib), the bacterium responsible for nearly all cases of childhood meningitis. This is now administered to all newborns in the U.S., and has reduced the incidence of bacterial meningitis by 98 percent.
Technology Commercialization and Economic Impact
Thanks in large part to its vaccine breakthroughs, the University of Rochester ranks 9th in the nation in the amount of royalty revenue it receives from its licensed technologies (2007 data, Association of University Technology Managers; AUTM). The University is also the largest employer in Rochester, and generates an average of 3-4 new startup companies each year. These include Vaccinex, a company started by faculty from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology.
Clinical & Translational Research
The University of Rochester Medical Center was one of the first 12 Academic Health Centers to be awarded a Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) from the NIH. This consortium now includes some 46 institutions, and has the goal of enabling researchers to provide new treatments more efficiently and quickly to patients. Here at Rochester, a new 200,000 square foot Clinical and Translational Science Building (CTSB) is under construction and is expected to be completed in 2010.
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