“Nucleic Acid Vaccines: A Revolution in Modern Medicine”

Deborah Fuller, PhD
Professor, Microbiology
Department of Microbiology

Wednesday, January 17, 2024 at 12 pm
SLU Orin Smith Auditorium & Streamed on Zoom Webinar

Abstract

This seminar will delve into the history of how nucleic acid vaccines (DNA and RNA vaccines) got started, how nucleic acid vaccines work, how they differ from traditional vaccines, how DNA and RNA vaccines are similar and different, and why they emerged as the most effective strategy to fight the COVID19 pandemic. Looking forward, we will discuss how nucleic acid vaccines hold potential to revolutionize modern medicine and may become a game changer to prevent the next pandemic, protect from other infectious diseases and may provide new hope to treat chronic diseases including cancer.

Biography

Deborah Fuller is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology, University of Washington and Associate Director of Research, Washington National Primate Research Center. Her research focuses on DNA and RNA-based vaccines and has led to the translation of two vaccines from bench to clinic including the first DNA vaccine to induce protective levels of immunity in humans, and the first self-amplifying RNA vaccine licensed for human use (https://sites.uw.edu/fullerlabuw/). She’s authored over 100 manuscripts, is a co-inventor on over a dozen patents and a co-founder of Orlance, Inc (www.orlance.com), a biotechnology company developing a needle-free nucleic acid vaccine delivery platform. She served on several National Institutes of Health study sections and the leadership team for NIH’s COVID-19 Vaccines and Therapeutics Evaluation Network (COVTEN). During the COVID-19 pandemic, she led a team that developed the first self-amplifying RNA vaccine licensed for human use. She also helped to inform the public about the science underlying the COVID-19 vaccines and contributed to numerous news articles, podcasts, op-eds, televised news stories and instructional videos. Recent honors include the Hope College Distinguished Alumni Award in 2021 and the Latinx Faculty Excellence in Research Award in 2022.