CBER Expertise

Office of Vaccines Research and Review

Division of Bacterial, Parasitic, and Allergenic Products

Richard Walker, PhD, Director

Research in DBPAP encompasses investigations into the fundamental pathogenesis and immunology of bacterial and parasitic diseases, as well as mechanisms of allergic reactions. Major focus areas of research include respiratory and toxin mediated diseases, enteric pathogens and mucosal immunization, mycobacteria and intracellular bacteria, and bacterial agents that could be used in bioterrorism.

Laboratory of Immunobiochemistry

Jay Slater, MD, Chief - Improving safety and potency testing of allergen extracts
Ronald Rabin, MD - - Assessing the efficacy of new treatments for allergy and allergic asthma: Regulation of T cell cytokine responses

Laboratory of Bacterial Polysaccharides

Wille Vann, PhD, Chief - Characterization of Vaccines Targeting Surface Carbohydrates in Bacterial Disease and Associated Manufacturing and Product Testing Issues
Milan Blake, PhD - Developing and evaluating safety tests to evaluate bacterial meningitis vaccines
John F. Cipollo - Mass spectrometry of carbohydrates as a tool for characterization of bacterial vaccines and pathogens
Chao-Ming Tsai, PhD - Quality control and research on meningococcal vaccine manufacturing
Mustafa Akkoyunlu, MD, PhD - Evaluation of biomarkers of bacterial polysaccharide vaccine efficacy: The Innate Immune Response
Daron Freedberg, PhD - Improvement of biological product quality by application of new technologies to characterize of vaccines and blood products: NMR spectroscopy and light scattering

Laboratory of Enteric and Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Dennis Kopecko, PhD, Chief - Enteric Bacterial Pathogens - Improving Vaccine Safety and Efficacy of Combination Vaccines for Diarrheal Diseases and Select Agents
Scott Stibitz, PhD - - Bacterial Vaccine Safety: Biomarkers of virulence and attenuation in Bordetella Pertussis (Whooping Cough) and Anthrax bacteria

Laboratory of Mycobacterial Diseases and Cellular Immunology

Sheldon Morris, PhD, Chief - - Evaluation of the safety and effectiveness of TB vaccines, including DNA-based and live-attenuated products
Michael Brennan, PhD - Reducing the risk of potentially harmful immune responses to vaccination for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) and evaluating effective immunity of new TB vaccine candidates
Karen Elkins, PhD - Evaluation of the efficacy of vaccination against tularaemia, tuberculosis and other intracellular bacteria: Biomarker correlates of protective immunity

Laboratory of Respiratory and Special Pathogens

Drusilla Burns, PhD, Chief - Improving vaccine manufacturing evaluation for bacterial respiratory pathogens
Todd Merkel, PhD - Development and evaluation of pre-clinical safety and efficacy disease models for bacterial vaccines: Anthrax and Pertussis (Whooping Cough)
Karen Meysick, PhD - Plague Vaccine Efficacy: Identification and characterization of novel Yersinia virulence factors as new candidate antigens or therapeutic targets against plague.
Michael Schmitt, PhD - Biomarkers of vaccine safety and efficacy for diphtheria vaccines
James Keller, PhD - Developing test methods to measure the potency of vaccine(s) and antitoxin(s) against botulism and tetanus