Volume IX, Number 1 Sabin Summer 2006 EPORT The newsletter of the Albert B. Sabin Vaccine InstituteR — dedicated to disease prevention www.sabin.org SVI Supporters Gather to Celebrate 2006 Sabin Award Winners 2006 Sabin Awards are Highlight of June 28 New York City Gala

The recog- eases and auto immune disorders. her introduction at the Awards Cel- nized excellence in biotechnology, medi- Armen is also the founder and chair- ebration, Philip K. Russell, MD, SVI cal research, and medical reporting at man of the Children of Armenia Fund, founding president and board member, its annual fundraising gala on June 28, a charitable organization dedicated to described Arnon’s wealth of scientific 2006 at the University Club in New York the positive development of the children contributions, including hundreds of pub- City. The event, themed “Celebrating and youth of Armenia. In accepting the lications. In her acceptance speech, she Hope for a Healthier World,” honored award, Armen spoke of the future recalled her friendship with Heloisa Garo H. Armen, PhD, Ruth Arnon, PhD promise of cancer . Antigenics Sabin and with the late , who and G. Timothy Johnson, MD, with hu- is one of 40 companies and more than served as president of the Weizmann manitarian, scientific excellence, and 20 affiliated institutions engaged with Institute. Along the years she served as health media awards, respectively. SVI in the work of the Institute’s Can- a member of the board of trustees of H.R. Shepherd, SVI chairman, praised cer Vaccine Consortium. many organizations including the Sabin this year’s recipients as innovators in Professor Ruth Arnon is an immu- Vaccine Institute and the International their fields. “In each case, these extraor- nologist with the Weizmann Institute Vaccine Institute (IVI) in Seoul. Arnon dinary individuals didn’t settle for high of Science in Israel and received the is also the scientific advisor to the presi- achievement in just one area, but they Sabin Scientific Excellence Award. dent of the State of Israel. broadened their horizons and multiplied Formerly vice-president of the Receiving the 2006 Sabin Health Me- their effect. They each found new Weizmann Institute, Arnon has made dia Award, Timothy Johnson is one of ways to further medical science, significant contributions to the fields the nation’s leading medical communi- reaching out to help a greater cross- of vaccine development and cancer cators of health care information. As section of humanity.” research and to the study of parasitic Continued on page 7 This year’s recipient of the Sabin diseases. She also co-developed Humanitarian Award, Garo Armen, is Copaxone®, a drug for the treatment chairman and chief executive officer of multiple sclerosis. Arnon joined the of Antigenics, a biotechnology com- staff of the Weizmann Institute in I nside pany he co-founded in 1994. 1960. She is a member of the Israel Chairman’s Message ...... 2 Antigenics is pursuing development of Academy of Sciences, and served as Vaccines and Poverty ...... 3 treatments for cancers, infectious dis- its vice president since 2004. During SVI/PAHO Renew Project .... 4 Vaccine Policy Colloquium Proceed- ings ...... 5 Bill Foege Wins Sabin Medal ...... 6 ACIP Recommendations ...... 9 Forum on Biotech in ...... 10 Calendar...... 12

Albert Sabin Stamp in Circulation, Garo Armen, PhD Ruth Arnon, PhD Timothy Johnson, MD page 8. 2 SUMMER 2006 SABIN VACCINE REPORT

The Sabin Vaccine Report A Message from the SVI Chairman is published by the H.R. Shepherd Reflects on Advice of Scientist Statesmen Albert B. Sabin Vaccine Institute Subscriptions are free. Direct inquiries to: 1996 was declared “The Year of the Vac- And third, our own beloved Albert Sabin SABIN VACCINE REPORT cine” by the Task Force for Child Survival and advised us: “Live every day as if it were your 1889 F Street, N.W., Suite 200S Development. That year, the Sabin Vaccine last. Live every day as if you would live for- Washington, DC 20006-4400 Institute celebrated its first Sabin Awards cel- phone: 202.842.5025/fax: 202.842.7689 ever.” We would do well to remember this www.sabin.org/email: [email protected] ebration in Beverly Hills, California, and has advice as we go about our work, keeping in continued the tradition to the present. mind the urgency of our mission and the fu- EDITOR Raymond MacDougall I would like in this newsletter message to ture legacy of our actions.

COPY EDITORS revive from the first awards celebration the The Sabin Vaccine Institute has accom- David Bedell and Nate Wolf quotable wisdom of three extraordinary hu- plished much since that first awards cel- OFFICERS OF THE SVI BOARD OF TRUSTEES man beings who preceded us. These three ebration, but there is much still to accom- H. R. Shepherd, DSc, Chairman luminaries happened to share the same first plish. In May, some of us had the honor Michael E. Whitham, Esq., Secretary/Treas. name, and to a large extent they shared the during our Sabin Gold Medal ceremony of SVI STAFF same humanitarian outlook on life. hearing the profoundly moving speech by Ciro de Quadros, MD, MPH, President/ CEO a.i. Upon receiving the Nobel Prize in 1952, the co-founder of the Task Force for Child Sur- David Bedell, Director, Educational Albert Schweitzer reminded us: “You don’t vival and Development, Dr. William H. Foege. Programs live in a world alone.” How true this is, and Upon receiving the 2006 Sabin Gold Medal, Karen Bodick, Assistant to the Chairman our responsibility to the global community Ana Carvalho, Assistant to the Director, he took the occasion to make a forecast about International Programs becomes more urgently apparent each year, the future of . He predicted that in David J. Diemert, MD, Chief Medical as the world becomes smaller and smaller, the next 25 years, the biggest health problems Officer, HHVI and diseases halfway around the planet can of the developing world will yield. With the ad- Raymond MacDougall, Director of Commu- nications affect us in a matter of days. vent of new vaccines against cervical cancer Tricia Reyes, Clinical Trials Technical Another Albert, Albert Einstein, once said: and rotavirus, and medical technologies to Officer, HHVI “Concern for man himself and his fate must control malaria and other scourges, there is Cherise Scott, PhD, MPH, Quality Assur- ance Specialist, HHVI always form the chief interest of all our tech- truly hope for a healthier world and we are Noor Seddiq, Fiscal and Grants Manager nical endeavors...in order that the creations privileged to have resources and opportunity Ami Shah Brown, PhD, MPH, QA & of our mind shall be a blessing...to mankind.” to work for a healthier tomorrow. Regulatory Manager, HHVI Kari Stoever, CCRP, Program Director, HHVI

SVI ADVISORS Philip K. Russell, MD, Senior Advisor to the Chairman Peter J. Hotez, MD, PhD, Senior Fellow & Chair, Scientific Advisory Council Anne Gershon, MD, Co-chair, Scientific Advisory Council Hugh E. Evans, MD, Sabin Fellow William Muraskin, PhD, Sabin Fellow Patricia Thomas, Sabin Fellow Nancy Gardner Hargrave, Development Counsel

_____

The Sabin Vaccine Institute gratefully acknowledges the SVI Chairman H.R. Shepherd and his wife and fellow SVI board member Carol Ruth Shepherd were recently following contributors for generous inducted into the Einstein Society of the National Academies. Einstein Society members are presented with unrestricted educational grants a replica of the original maquette of the Einstein Monument that sits on the front lawn of the National supporting the publication of this Academies Headquarters on Constitution Avenue in Washington, DC. Pictured, from left, are William A. newsletter. Wulf, president of the National Academy of Engineering, Mrs. Shepherd holding the replica, Mr. Shep- Chiron Foundation Wyeth herd, Ralph J. Cicerone, president of the National Academy of Sciences, and Harvey V. Fineberg, president of the Institute of Medicine. (Photo courtesy NAS) dedicated to disease prevention www.sabin.org 3 Scientists Cite Vaccines’ Potential to Break Poverty Cycle Genomics and Innovative Partnerships are Key to Vaccine Development In “The antipoverty vaccines,” an ar- At this time, the largest barriers to man Hookworm Vaccine Initiative, ticle published in Volume 24, Issue Num- vaccine development are not scientific, which has developed a first-generation bers 31-32 of the Elsevier journal Vac- as “our technical ability to produce ne- hookworm vaccine comprised of a re- cine, Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, and glected disease vaccines has outpaced combinant protein that is proceeding to Meghan T. Ferris, MD, explain how a the social and political will needed to clinical testing. Meghan Ferris is a medi- group of parasitic and bacterial illnesses translate scientific discoveries into prod- cal resident at the State University of are not only caused by poverty, but also ucts.” Public-private partnerships, ad- New York at Stony Brook. perpetuate it. The impact of neglected vanced market commitments, and other The human hookworm vaccine is an tropical diseases on child and adolescent innovative strategies will be required to example of a technology created to ad- development, maternal and prenatal con- achieve and sustain funding for vaccines dress a critical problem and ditions, and worker productivity holds for these “orphan” diseases, or diseases developed through a public-private part- populations in a persistent state of un- whose vaccine holds little financial incen- nership. Hookworms cause one of the derdevelopment. The article describes tive for potential manufacturers. The way world’s most prevalent infections, af- the effects and the scope of 13 neglected forward also will include partnerships flicting an estimated 576 million people tropical diseases and the status of clini- with innovative developing countries. in the developing nations of the Tropics. cal trials for vaccines for three of these Peter Hotez is principal scientist for Through funding from the Bill & Melinda diseases: hookworm, leishmaniasis, and the Sabin Vaccine Institute (SVI) and Gates Foundation, the Sabin Vaccine schistosomiasis. The article is published professor and chair of microbiology, im- Institute’s Human Hookworm Vaccine online and was issued in print July 26. munology and tropical medicine at The Initiative is taking on a huge global prob- Hotez and Ferris contend that, due to George Washington University. He is lem that would otherwise not garner the new advances in bioinformatics, there principal investigator for the SVI Hu- attention it deserves. is a possibility of development of new vaccines for most of the other neglected tropical diseases described in the article: amebiasis, Buruli ulcer, Chagas disease, Neglected Tropical Diseases Chlamydia infections, leprosy, leptospiro- sis, syphilis and other treponematoses. Ascariasis Hookworm In fact, the article explains that scien- Buruli Ulcer Leishmaniasis tists have more information “in terms of Chagas Disease Lymphatic Filariasis genomic and proteomic database” for Guinea Worm Onchocerciasis most of the other infections being dis- Hansen’s Disease (Leprosy) Schistosomiasis cussed than for hookworm or schisto- Human African Trypanosomiasis Trichuriasis somiasis, for which human clinical trials Trachoma are already underway. New Tools Revitalize Options for Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases Peter J. Hotez, MD, PhD Presents Invited Lecture on Neglected Diseases in United Kingdom Peter J. Hotez, MD, PhD lectured national distinction to address school a new focus on global health efforts that this past May 2nd in Liverpool, United faculty, students and United Kingdom would take stock of the impact of a Kingdom, to advance a view on glo- health advisors. group of diseases that get less atten- bal health that gives long-neglected Hotez has researched, written and tion than malaria, tuberculosis, and diseases long-overdue attention. He lectured extensively on issues related HIV/AIDS—otherwise known as “the delivered the Leverhulme Lecture at to neglected disease control. His recent big three.” He and his colleagues are the Liverpool School of Tropical Medi- commentary on the topic with noted hoping a new focus will bring interna- cine on “The Neglected Tropical Dis- economist Jeffrey Sachs appeared in tional focus on those who suffer from eases: New Tools and New Promise the March 2006 issue of Science and some of the diseases that have been for their Control.” In addition, he re- a collection of articles with colleagues around since biblical times and have still ceived the Leverhulme Medal. The is available in the online public access not achieved the profile of some dis- prestigious lecture series began in journal Public Library of Science, eases of which the world’s public health 1999 and attracts lecturers of inter- www. plos.org. His writings introduce leaders are more aware. 4 SUMMER 2006 SABIN VACCINE REPORT

SVI and PAHO Renew Project Targeting Rubella and Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS) Goal of SVI-sponsored Project is Rubella and CRS Elimination in the Americas

The Sabin Vaccine Institute (SVI) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) renewed their agreement for a second year of partnership on elimi- nation of rubella and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) in the Americas. A signing ceremony on April 14, 2006 marked the renewal of the agreement. “The renewal agreement signed today reinforces SVI’s commitment to contrib- uting to rubella elimination and the im- portance of the Institute’s association with the public health programs of PAHO,” says Ciro de Quadros, presi- dent and CEO of the Institute. Rubella virus causes a fever and rash sometimes referred to as “German measles,” and is often considered a mild illness in children and adults. The con- sequences if contracted by a woman in Seated are Ciro de Quadros, MD, MPH, SVI president and CEO, and Mirta Roses Periago, MD, PAHO the early stages of her pregnancy, how- director. Standing, from left, are Jon Andrus, MD, PAHO’s chief, Immunization Unit; Professor Peter J. ever, can be devastating. It can result in Hotez, MD, PhD, chair, SVI Scientific Advisory Council; and Gina Tambini, MD, PAHO’s Manager of miscarriage, stillbirth, and serious birth Family and Community Health. defects such as deafness, blindness, and congenital heart problems. The effects on the countries of the English-speaking to eliminate rubella and CRS in the are known as congenital rubella syn- Caribbean, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Sal- Americas by 2010. The project is aimed drome, or CRS. vador, Hondoras, and Venezuela. During at speeding the progress towards this The Rubella and CRS elimination 2006, the focus will be on Bolivia, Do- goal and will serve as a pilot program project emphasizes adult vaccination and minican Republic, Guatemala, Argentina, in rubella and CRS elimination that supplemental immunization activities. Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela. could be adopted and applied in other The project began in 2005 with a focus PAHO adopted a resolution in 2003 regions of the world. Nation’s Immunization Programs Lauded The US Capitol was the scene on June 5th for a con- gressional education session attended by more than 30 leg- islative staff members who heard science-based presenta- tions on the safety of the nation’s immunization programs. Organized by Every Child by Two (ECBT), the session was moderated by Mrs. Betty Bumpers, who co-founded ECBT with Mrs. Rosalyn Carter, and who serves as the organization’s vice president. Dr. Peter Hotez, SVI’s prin- cipal scientist, offered the perspective of a pediatrician, vaccine researcher, and father of an autistic child. He called for more funding for autism research and amplified ser- vices for parents of autistic children. The session also fea- tured Melinda Wharton, MD, deputy director, CDC’s Na- At the US Capitol are, from left, Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, SVI principal scientist; tional Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; Mrs. Betty Bumpers, co-founder and vice president, Every Child By Two Amy Pisani, ECBT executive director; and , MD, (ECBT); Amy Pisani, ECBT executive director; and Paul Offit, MD, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. dedicated to disease prevention www.sabin.org 5

With New Vaccines,World Health Leaders Anticipate BOOK CORNER Decline in Rotavirus Rates, Hospitalizations and Deaths World health experts meeting in Rotavirus is the most common cause Report Explores Sustainability Lisbon, Portugal on June 12 and 13 of severe, dehydrating diarrhea, and of Vaccine Programs for expressed optimism about vaccines to 85% of deaths from rotavirus occur prevent many of the 1,400 daily in low-income countries. By the age Developing Countries rotavirus deaths currently occurring of five, almost every child in both around the world. “Surveillance net- developed and developing countries Vaccination programs offer countries works are giving us the data we need is affected. in the developing world the opportunity to so that we can use rotavirus vaccine Conveners of the symposium were fast-forward economic progress along globally,” Roger Glass, MD, PhD told the World Health Organization with combating infectious disease, eradi- a gathering of researchers who study (WHO), the Albert B. Sabin Vaccine cating extreme poverty, reducing child the killer desease. Institute, and the US Centers for Dis- mortality, and improving maternal health. Glass, one of the scientific conven- ease Control and Prevention.The cur- The Sabin Vaccine Institute has just pub- ers of the 7th International Rotavirus rent annual death toll from rotavirus lished the proceedings of a gathering of Symposium, has led a team at the US on a global scale is between 450,000 world experts in health policy and vac- Centers for Disease Control and Pre- and 650,000, said Glass. The CDC re- cine financing that addresses key factors vention (CDC) that has analyzed the ports 600,000 deaths annually from its impacting developing-country immuniza- grave impact of rotavirus on the interpretation of the data. About one tion efforts. world’s children and is working to in 40 children with rotavirus gastroen- The title of the book, “Introduction and gather epidemiologic data to encour- teritis will require hospitalization for in- Sustainable Use of Vaccines in Develop- age safe and effective treatments and travenous fluids. Therefore, though it ing Countries,” takes its name from the vaccines. Two newly promoted vac- is a potential killer, for some children 2005 Sabin Vaccine Policy Colloquium, cines and others in development with better access to health services, convened in October 2005 at the Cold present the potential to shift the focus the worst is evaded. Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York. from child death and illness rates to Despite its wide prevalence, It engaged 35 leaders in public health, numbers of lives saved. rotavirus is not well known by name, government, and industry for two days to “We would like to make rotavirus even by some in the public health re- collectively tackle one of the world’s most vaccines available to all children in search area. According to SVI’s Dr. pressing global health challenges: finding the next five years,” Glass said. Ciro de Quadros, “It is good that the ways and means to scale-up global “The challenge is to see if the vac- people know about the disease, es- childhood vaccination, and achieving im- cines work in children in the poor- pecially now that vaccines can be in- munization for all as a basic condition for est countries of Africa and Asia.” troduced to prevent rotavirus.” health and development. “This document delves deeply into the mechanisms that make immunization pro- grams possible, yet challenging, from glo- bal economics to limits of scientific dis- covery,” said Ciro de Quadros, MD,

Continued on page 12

From left, Ciro de Quadros, Sabin Vaccine Institute; Dean Jamison, University of California, San Francisco; and Roger Glass, Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health; convene the 7th International Rotavirus Symposium in Lisbon, Portugal. 6 SUMMER 2006 SABIN VACCINE REPORT William H Foege, MD, MPH Named 2006 Sabin Gold Medal Recipient Champion of Global Immunization Honored at Annual Ceremony in Baltimore, Maryland

The Sabin Vaccine Institute awarded Sabin, who in addition to discovering the the 2006 Sabin Gold Medal to global oral vaccine, worked tirelessly dur- health expert and epidemiologist William ing his lifetime to see it and other vac- H. Foege, MD, MPH at a ceremony on cines utilized globally. May 9, 2006 in Baltimore, Maryland. In a speech that considered the roles Foege has for more than 30 years been played by researchers like Albert Sabin a champion of immunization programs and public health workers who convey for children around the world and was vaccines to people around the world, co-founder and executive director of the Foege said, “We are all part of a move- Atlanta-based Task Force for Child Sur- ment that I see as ‘scientists without vival and Development. borders,’ or ‘health workers without According to H.R. Shepherd, SVI borders,’ indeed ‘people without bor- chairman, “Bill Foege has made an ex- ders.’” traordinary impact on the world’s Speaking in tribute of Foege, Freeman health. He is eminently deserving of the A. Hrabowski, III, president of the Uni- Sabin Gold Medal, having deployed versity of Maryland, Baltimore County, vaccines to their maximum effective- said, “He has used his eyes to look into ness to reduce the burden of infectious the face of suffering over and over, and diseases on the world’s children, fami- to live among those who have suffered – William H. Foege, MD, MPH is congratulated by Patty lies and communities.” touching them in so many ways on so Stonesifer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation chief executive officer. Foege is the 14th recipient of the many levels.” He added, “Throughout his Sabin Gold Medal, awarded annually by lifetime of reflection and action, he has Foege worked in the successful cam- SVI to recognize accomplishments of learned and taught lessons that continue paign to eradicate smallpox in the 1970s. those who make vaccine discoveries or to inspire us. And for that inspiration, and He championed child survival and devel- employ vaccines to combat vaccine-pre- [his] vision, all of us – most especially opment, injury prevention, population, pre- ventable diseases. The medal com- the children of the world – are better.” ventive medicine, and public health lead- memorates the legacy of the late Dr. ership, particularly in the developing world. He is a strong proponent of dis- ease eradication and control, and has taken an active role in the eradication of Guinea worm, polio, measles, and the elimination of river blindness. His many publications and lectures have broadened public awareness of these issues and brought them to the forefront of domes- tic and international health policies. Foege attended Pacific Lutheran Uni- versity. He received a medical degree from the University of Washington, and a master’s in public health from Harvard University. He held key posts at the CDC Smallpox Eradication Program, the US Centers for Disease Control, the Task Force for Child Survival, the Carter Center, Emory University and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Foege William H. Foege, recipient of the 2006 Sabin Gold Medal, is greeted with applause by, from left, Ciro de remains active at Emory University as Quadros, president, a.i., Sabin Vaccine Institute; H.R. Shepherd, chairman, SVI; Freeman A. Hrabowski, Emeritus Presidential Distinguished Pro- III, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and, at right, Heloisa Sabin, widow of Albert B. Sabin, the fessor of International Health and as a late vaccinologist in whose name the medal is given. Gates Fellow at the Gates Foundation. dedicated to disease prevention www.sabin.org 7

2006 Sabin Award Recipients Warmly Received at Annual Dinner Colleague of Albert Sabin, Arnon, Among Honorees

America.” Johnson took the opportunity fended the public health achievements from page 1 of his acceptance speech to replay a of immunization programs, pointing to medical editor for ABC News, Johnson June 23, 2005 broadcast of an interview the benefits of vaccination and his grate- provides on-air medical analysis for on ABC News. The interview followed fulness that his own grandchildren have “World News Tonight”, “Nightline” and the publication in Rolling Stone of an been immunized. “20/20.” He has provided commentary article by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. that Johnson is on the faculty at Harvard on medical problems and answers for raised questions about the safety of Medical School and is on the staff of viewers of ABC News’ “Good Morning childhood immunizations. Johnson de- Massachusetts General Hospital.

Acceptance Remarks Delivered by Ruth Arnon, PhD at 2006 Sabin Awards Dinner

I am greatly honored and privileged to receive the Sabin Vaccine Institute Award. I have felt connected with this Institute for a very long time. First and foremost, I knew Professor Sabin and admired his work for many years. Later I came to know him a little better when he became the president of the Weizmann institute and we worked together. During this period I met Heloisa, when she arrived to Rehovot as his new wife. She is a wonderful and charming lady and we became Philip K. Russell, MD, presenting the Sabin Award to Ruth Arnon, PhD. quite friendly. I really love her, and I am very sorry that she is not with us this evening.

When the Sabin Vaccine Foundation was established, I had the privilege of serving on the first Scientific Advisory Board and was thus involved in its initial activities. Although quite a few years have passed since the end of my term on this Board, I try to keep abreast of the news from the Sabin Vaccine Institute and to follow closely their achievements. Continued on page 7 Vaccine development is still a very important issue in public health. Until several decades ago infectious diseases were killer number one. Thanks to the availability of vaccines and global vaccination policies, many of those diseases are being Timothy Johnson, MD, with Master of Ceremonies Peter Hotez, MD, PhD. eradicated, including polio, thanks to the Sabin vaccine. The major killers now are heart diseases and cancer. I therefore applaud the Sabin Vaccine Institute for embarking on the important task of fighting cancer, and for its efforts to push forward towards the development of cancer vaccines. This is at present one of the most critical targets of vaccine development.

I would like to thank again the Board of Trustees of the Sabin Vaccine Institute and particularly the Chairman, Professor Herman Shepherd, for bestowing upon me this great honor. I will always cherish this award in my heart.

H.R. Shepherd presented Garo Armen, PhD with the Sabin Humanitarian Award. 8 SUMMER 2006 SABIN VACCINE REPORT

US Postage Stamp Commemorates Albert Sabin’s Vaccine Discoveries SVI Joins Rotary International and UN Foundation in Celebration of the Albert Sabin Postage Stamp

The US Postal Service issued a post- a scratchboard technique distinguished ruses, beginning what would become a age stamp featuring a woodcut render- by a dense network of etched horizon- three-decade-long association with the ing of Albert B. Sabin, MD. The stamp tal lines. University of Cincinnati and the is recognition of Dr. Sabin’s legacy of Albert Bruce Sabin was born on Au- Children’s Hospital Research Founda- lifesaving work as a virologist and dis- gust 26, 1906, in Bialystok, Poland (then tion. For part of that time, he was away coverer of the oral . part of Russia). He immigrated with his serving as a lieutenant colonel in the US The 87-cent Albert Sabin definitive family to the United States in 1921 and Army Medical Corps, researching dis- stamp was issued in a pressure-sensi- 10 years later received a medical de- eases that afflicted American soldiers tive adhesive pane of 20 stamps on gree from New York University. From in World War II and, in the course of his March 8, 2006 and it is on sale nation- 1931 through 1933, Sabin trained in in- work, helping to develop vaccines against wide. On the same day, the Postal Ser- ternal medicine, pathology, and surgery dengue fever and Japanese encephali- vice released a 63-cent stamp honoring at Bellevue Hospital. He conducted re- tis. another polio vaccine pioneer, Jonas search at the Lister Institute of Preven- After the war, Sabin returned to Cin- Salk, MD, whose vaccine was licensed tive Medicine in England in 1934 and cinnati and by the mid-1950s was ready in 1955. then returned to New York to join the to test a vaccine made from live but According to H.R. Shepherd, DSc, staff of the Rockefeller Institute for weakened poliovirus. His approach was chairman of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, Medical Research (now Rockefeller based on one of the time-tested prin- “Albert Sabin had an amazing scientific University). He devoted himself to po- ciples of immunology: infection with a gift that he shared with the world through lio research, seeking a way to prevent harmless strain of virus stimulates anti- vaccine discoveries. The postage stamp the disabling and sometimes fatal dis- body production that protects against depicting him is an extraordinary tribute ease caused by the poliovirus. “A sci- more virulent strains. In 1960, after ex- and is a reminder of how his life and entist,” Sabin once said, “cannot rest tensive worldwide trials, Sabin’s live-vi- legacy have distinction in the United while knowledge which might reduce rus vaccine was approved for use in the States and around the globe. The Albert suffering rests on the shelf.” United States. Sabin Institute is committed to continu- In 1939, Sabin moved to Ohio to con- The Sabin vaccine is easily adminis- ing the legacy of this great American.” tinue his research on polio and other vi- tered, with doses given orally. A killed- The Sabin postage stamp, one in the Continued on next page Distinguished Americans series, recog- nizes Sabin’s successful efforts to de- velop a polio vaccine, which made him one of the most esteemed scientists in the world. Dr. Sabin received numer- ous recognitions in his lifetime, includ- ing the National Medal of Science (1970) and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1986), and was featured on a stamp issued in Brazil. The US Postal Service’s release of the Albert Sabin postage stamp was cel- ebrated at a reception in Washington, DC, in April. Jointly hosted by the Sabin Vaccine Institute, Rotary International, Pictured at the celebration in Washington, DC, following the release of the Albert Sabin stamp are, from and the United Nations Foundation, the left, Dr. David H. Reid, medical director, Health and Resource Management, U.S. Postal Service; Michael event drew colleagues and admirers of Whitham, secretary/treasurer, Sabin Vaccine Institute Board of Trustees; Ciro de Quadros, MD, MPH, the late vaccinologist. president and CEO a.i., Sabin Vaccine Institute; Mrs. Heloisa Sabin, founding member, Sabin Vaccine Artist Mark Summers created the por- Institute; John Sever, MD, member of the International Polio Plus Committee, Rotary International; trait on the stamp, using as a reference Stephen Strickland, PhD, senior liaison officer, Global , United Nations Foundation; a photograph of Sabin taken in 1982. Andrea Gay, director, Children’s Health, United Nations Foundation; and Robert Chanock, MD, senior The artist, who also created art for pre- investigator, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National vious issuances in this series, employed Institutes of Health. dedicated to disease prevention www.sabin.org 9

Recommendations for Rotavirus Vaccine and Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Made by Advisory Committee

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met in Atlanta this past February and June, making recommendation that included two lifesaving vaccines.

New Vaccine to Prevent Rotavirus HPV Vaccination Recommended The ACIP in February voted to recom- The ACIP voted in June to recommend mend a newly licensed vaccine to protect that a newly licensed vaccine designed to against rotavirus, a viral infection that can protect against human papillomavirus vi- cause severe diarrhea, vomiting, fever and rus (HPV) be routinely given to girls when dehydration (gastroenteritis) in infants and they are 11 to 12 years old. The ACIP rec- young children. Rotavirus is the leading ommendation also allows for vaccination cause of gastroenteritis in infants and young of girls beginning at nine years old as well virus vaccine developed by Jonas Salk children in the United States and worldwide. as vaccination of girls and women 13-26 and licensed for general use in 1955 re- The ACIP recommendation is for infants years old. HPV is the leading cause of cervi- quires injections. Both vaccines are to receive three doses of the oral vaccine at cal cancer in women and causes genital highly effective and are responsible for two, four, and six months of age. Children warts in men and women. the eradication of polio in the United should receive the first dose of the vaccine According to the ACIP’s recommenda- States and, subsequently, the rest of the by 12 weeks of age and should receive all tion, three doses of the new vaccine should Americas and Europe. Today, Sabin’s doses of the vaccine by 32 weeks of age. be routinely given to girls when they are 11 vision of a world without polio has al- The new vaccine, RotaTeq™ (marketed or 12 years old. The advisory committee, most been realized, thanks to an extraor- by Merck and Company), is the only vac- however, noted that the vaccination series dinary international effort to make his cine approved in the United States for pre- can be started as early as nine years old at vaccine available to all people. Immuni- vention of rotavirus gastroenteritis (vomit- the discretion of the physician or health care zation efforts are continuing to make ing and diarrhea). provider. The recommendation also in- headway against the virus in Africa and Each year, rotavirus is responsible for cludes girls and women 13-26 years old Asia, raising hopes that global polio more than 400,000 doctor visits, more than because they will benefit from getting the eradication will be achieved in the near 200,000 emergency room visits, 55,000 to vaccine. The vaccine should be adminis- future. 70,000 hospitalizations, and between 20 tered before onset of sexual activity (i.e., In the years following his success and 60 deaths in US children younger than before women are exposed to the viruses), against polio, Sabin continued to play a 5 years of age, leading to about $300 mil- but females who are sexually active should major role in the scientific community— lion in direct medical costs and $900 mil- still be vaccinated. researching, consulting, and lecturing. lion in total societal costs. In developing Gardasil®, manufactured by Merck, is He was also involved in several humani- countries, rotavirus is a major cause of child- the first vaccine developed to prevent cervi- tarian efforts, focusing on non-viral “dis- hood deaths, causing more than half a mil- cal cancer, precancerous genital lesions eases” such as poverty and ignorance. lion deaths each year in children younger and genital warts due to HPV. On March 3, 1993, Albert Sabin died in than five years of age. The vaccine is highly effective against four Washington, DC; he was buried at Ar- Rotavirus vaccine will not prevent gastro- types of the HPV virus, including two that lington National Cemetery. enteritis caused by other viruses, but is very cause about 70 percent of cervical cancer. effective against rotavirus disease. Studies in- Those who have not acquired HPV would For Collectors dicate the vaccine will prevent about 74 per- get the full benefits of the vaccine. On aver- The Albert Sabin first day cover is cent of rotavirus cases and about 98 percent age, there are 9,710 new cases and 3,700 available from Unicover, a company of the most severe cases, including 96 per- deaths from cervical cancer in the United specializing in stamp collectibles, and cent of cases requiring hospitalization. States each year. can be ordered by phone, 1-800-443- 3232, or ordered online at Recommendations of the ACIP become recommendations of CDC once they www.unicover.com. The mailing ad- are accepted by the director of CDC and the Secretary of Health and Human dress is: One Unicover Center, Chey- Services and are published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. enne, Wyoming 82008-0001. 10 SUMMER 2006 SABIN VACCINE REPORT

Sabin Vaccine Institute Represented at Woodrow Wilson Center Forum on Brazil Biotech SVI Collaborates with Brazil’s Butantan Institute and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation A seminar hosted by the Woodrow the development of Wilson International Center this past vaccines for tropi- March considered biotechnology ad- cal infectious dis- vances in Brazil and obstacles to over- eases that are come in the field of neglected tropical largely ignored by diseases. Brazil is classified as an “in- the international novative developing country” (IDC), public health com- having advanced in such fields as bio- munity because of technology in recent years despite its relatively small status as a developing country. The capital returns. seminar featured representatives from The seminar was the Sabin Vaccine Institute. moderated by Taking advantage of its public-sector Thome Nicocelli, infrastructure and low-cost production, MD, director of Ciro de Quadros, MD, MPH addresses a group convened by the Woodrow Brazil has tackled the issue of poor health the Brazil Project Wilson International Center with Peter J. Hotez, MD, PhD, left, and Heloisa care by investing in health research and at the Woodrow Sabin, right. development, along with creating and Wilson International Center. mainly afflict the rural poor of low-in- patenting new and innovative vaccines, Heloisa Sabin stressed the vital impor- come countries, as such diseases are technologies, and health services. The tance of biotechnology and medical re- often both causes and consequences Sabin Vaccine Institute is participating search in working to eradicate diseases of poverty. Many of these diseases in one aspect of this activity through a and improve the lot of the world’s poor. cause physical growth suppression collaboration on research for its human Ciro de Quadros described how the and cognition underdevelopment, de- hookworm vaccine at Brazil’s Oswaldo Sabin Institute commemorates Sabin’s creasing victims’ chances of making Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz). Also, SVI legacy through the promotion of vaccine a better livelihood. Hotez proposed established a memorandum of under- research by identifying viable research that a paradigm shift is needed in the standing in 2004 with Brazil’s federal bio- opportunities and supporting their de- way we think about diseases in de- logical manufacturing organization for velopment. According to de Quadros, veloping countries, with the big three prospective production of a human hook- ongoing vaccine developments, in both replaced by the “gang of four,” to ac- worm vaccine. the developed and developing world, count for neglected tropical diseases At the seminar titled, “Brazilian Re- herald a new era: “the twentieth cen- in the aggregate. search and Development to Help the tury was the century of antibiotics, the Isaias Raw reiterated the problem of World’s Poor,” were Peter Hotez, twenty-first will be the century of vac- lack of commercial incentive, explain- MD, PhD, professor and chair, De- cines.” ing that medicine should be “for partment of Microbiology, Immunol- Peter Hotez highlighted collaborative people,” not for profit. He highlighted ogy and Tropical Medicine at The measures taken by Brazilian public the need to invest in research and de- George Washington University and health organizations such as Fiocruz and velopment in the developing countries SVI principal scientist, Ciro de the Butantan Institute, with global de- themselves so that medicines are made Quadros, SVI president & CEO, a.i. velopment partners, such as the Sabin available to the poor at affordable and Mrs. Heloisa Sabin, founding SVI Vaccine Institute, to target tropical dis- prices. Akira Homma provided an over- board member. Representing Brazil’s eases neglected by most researchers view of the development and evolution federal biotechnology sector were in the developed world. Malaria, HIV, of Brazilian biotechnology. He outlined Isaias Raw, president, Fundação and tuberculosis, or the “big three,” re- the country’s increasing vaccine pro- Butantan, and researcher, Center of ceive all the attention from the interna- duction capacity by showing that in Biotechnology, Instituto Butantan, tional community, he argued, while 13 2004, 96% of polio vaccinations used São Paulo, Brazil; and Akira Homma, parasitic and bacterial diseases are of- in Brazil were produced domestically. director, Bio-Manguinhos / Fiocruz, ten overlooked and understudied. These In regards to intellectual property rights, , Brazil. 13 diseases have been burdening hu- Homma stressed the need for the de- The session illustrated that due in part manity for centuries, and many of them veloped world to free up technology and to global product development partner- are associated with intense stigmas, as share it with the developing world at ships, Brazil is successfully pioneering is the case with leprosy. These diseases negotiated prices. dedicated to disease prevention www.sabin.org 11

World Vaccine Congress 2006 Draws Vaccine Researchers and Industry Leaders Sabin Vaccine Institute Collaborates at New Venue in Washington, DC The World Vaccine Congress 2006, held in Washington, D.C., for the first time in its eight- year history, took place on March 20-23, 2006. The Sabin Vaccine Institute was among the field of col- laborating organizations. The conference sessions provided progress reports on vaccine development and a forum of interaction for public health ex- perts, senior industry leaders, government officials and vaccine researchers. Its program addressed critical issues facing the vaccine industry today. Lance Gordon, PhD, president and CEO of VaxGen and an SVI board member, moderated a conference session on vaccines in development. Above, Oren Cohen, MD, Quintiles Translational Corporation, offered an example from his Oren Cohen, MD, chief medical and scientific of- work from the SVI Human Hookworm Vaccine Initiative, during the World Vaccine Congress ficer at Quintiles Translational Corporation, in a pre- in Washington, DC. Below, Sen. Dale Bumpers (retired) delivers a keynote speech. sentation on vaccines for the poor, presented a de- scription of the work Quintiles engages in with SVI’s Human Hookworm Vaccine Initiative. Sen. Dale Bumpers (retired) presented a key- note speech on funding for vaccine development. The retired four-term senator from Arkansas, and his wife, Betty, are known as strong advocates of childhood immunization. In 1999, a vaccine re- search center at the National Institutes of Health was named the Dale and Betty Bumpers Vaccine Research Center.

SVI Cancer Vaccine Consortium News CVC Contributes to NCI Translational Research Working Group On April 24, 2006, the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) available to NCI, non-NCI, and industry researchers; Translational Research Working Group (TRWG) hosted an · broker collaborations between academia and industry; Industry/Society/Foundation Roundtable to solicit input from and a range of stakeholders. Lothar Finke, MD, of Argos · lead efforts on surrogate endpoints, biomarkers, and Therapeutics, represented the SVI’s Cancer Vaccine imaging. Consortium (CVC) at this meeting. The TRWG has outlined five “developmental pathways to The goal of the TRWG is to analyze current NCI clinical goals,” which are published on the NCI website, translational research activities and to define gaps, strategies, www.cancer.gov/trwg. Of particular interest is the pathway and directions for the future. Among the consensus for immune response modifiers (vaccines, cytokines, etc.). recommendations that came out of the April roundtable were In other CVC news... several that would advance CVC goals. For example, it was Lothar Finke was elected to the Executive Council of recommended that the NCI: the CVC, while member Axel Hoos, MD, PhD, of Bristol- · take an active role in standardization and validation of Myers Squibb, was elected to the position of chair. The tests and assays, e.g. through proficiency panels that Executive Council guides CVC strategy and advises the include non-NCI entities; CVC Executive Director. · broaden its tumor/biological sample banking activities, link samples with strong clinical data, and make these 12 SUMMER 2006 SABIN VACCINE REPORT

SABIN Colloquium Yields Insights on CALENDAR Vaccine Programs for AUGUST-NOVEMBER 2006 Developing Countries August 2006 October 18 - 20 Vienna, Austria from page 5 August, all month US Nationwide Influenza Vaccines for the World National Immunization Awareness Month www.meetingsmanagement.com/ MPH, president, a.i., of the Sabin Vac- www.partnersforimmunization.org/ ivw_2006 cine Institute. “By capturing diverse per- niam.cfm October 25 - 26 Atlanta, Georgia spectives on immunization financing, August 9 - 11 Denver, Colorado Advisory Committee on Immunization both from the developed and develop- 7th National Conference on Immunization Practices ing countries, we identified paths for- Coalitions www.cdc.gov/nip/ACIP/dates.htm ward. The challenge now is for partici- www.seeuthere.com/rsvp/invitation/ October 26 - 29 Los Angeles, California pants and the whole global immunization invitation.asp?id=/m2c666-455170415278 International Society for Biological community to work together to realize the August 13 - 18 Toronto, Canada Therapy of Cancer Annual Meeting ideas and recommendations that ema- XVI International AIDS Conference www.isbtc.org/meetings.html nated from this forum.” www.aids2006.org The book features comments by Sir November 2006 George Alleyne, MD, director emeritus September 2006 November 4 - 8 Boston, Massachusetts September 12 - 14 London, UK American Public Health Association of the Pan American Health Organiza- Modern Vaccines, Adjuvants & Delivery (APHA) 134th Annual Meeting and tion, on the theme, “Immunization for all: Systems Exposition a condition for health and development.” www.meetingsmanagement.com/ www.apha.org/meetings An overview of the current status of im- mvads_2006 munization programs is accented by November 9 - 10 Washington, DC September 24 - 30 US Nationwide 8th Annual Colloquium on Cancer Vaccines and country reports from Angola, Brazil, National Adult Immunization Awareness Immunotherapy Ethiopia, Ghana, and Vietnam. The docu- Week www.sabin.org ment explores immunization program fi- www.cdc.gov/nip/events/naiaw nancing, including innovative new fund- November 10 - 11 Washington, DC September 26 - 27 Washington, DC ing mechanisms and programs that have Cancer Vaccine Consortium Meeting National Vaccine Advisory Committee www.sabin.org had regional success over recent years. www.hhs.gov/nvpo/nvac The dialog includes commentary from November 15 - 17 Prague, Czech Republic representatives of key international October 2006 From Genomes to Protective Antigens – agencies, from UNICEF, the World October 9 - 11 Lyons, France Designing Vaccines World Vaccine Congress 2006 Health Organization, Pan American www.meetingsmanagement.com/ www.lifescienceworld.com/2006/ gpadv_2006 Health Organization, and the Global Al- wvcl%5Ffr liance for Vaccines and Immunization. Manufacturer’s insights are also cap- tured in this publication. The economic benefits and lifesaving value of immunization programs for de- veloping world countries are compelling NON-PROFIT ORG. aspects of the Sabin Vaccine Institute’s U.S. POSTAGE latest publication release. The height- PAID ened emphasis on global health makes MONTROSE, PA a publication of this kind an important PERMIT NO. 2 contribution to an urgent debate. The 1889 F Street, N.W., Suite 200S RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED meeting and proceedings were supported Washington, DC 20006-4400 by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates U.S.A. Foundation. An electronic version of the publication is available at www.sabin.org; hard copies can be ob- tained by request by emailing [email protected].