We collaborate with Dr. Rick Lyons of UNM's Department of Medicine in Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) - and NIH-funded genetic vaccine trials. Both DARPA and NIH funding was obtained through collaboration between Dr. Lyons and Dr. Stephen Johnston of University of Texas. A wide variety of pathogens are targeted. Currently tuberculosis, Lyme Disease (with Drs. Fred Koster and Steven Nickell), respiratory syncytial virus and hantavirus (with the Hjelle lab) are under study. Many additional pathogens will be addressed within the next 2 years.
We have an ideal that motivates us to develop the models for genetic vaccines. In principle, given a new and rapidly lethal infectious agent, genetic vaccines offer the best prospect for extremely rapid development and deployment. The isolation and amplification of the genome of a new agent could be achieved in days or even hours. The mixture of PCR products could be directly injected into persons at risk before anything is known about the pathogenesis, immune response, or before even the most rudimentary characterization of the agent can be completed. Dr. Johnston has already shown that a mixture of PCR products (DNA of the pathogen) with no additional manipulation can be used successfully to immunize animals against the pathogen. This approach may offer the best hope for military troops who may face exotic pathogens through accidental encounters or through deliberate use by enemy troops.
