Overview
VGTI-FL researchers are studying the human immune system with the goal of preventing and treating infectious diseases, cancer and ailments that disproportionately affect ageing populations. To quote our mission statement “VGTI-FL is Translating Research into Health”. Research at VGTI-FL is focused on developing new vaccines and treatments to fight diseases such as HIV/AIDS, TB, melanoma, breast and prostate cancer as well as emerging diseases such as yellow fever and dengue fever. The researchers at the institute aim to identify the mechanisms that allow some individuals to control infections or cancers leading to a slowly progressing disease or in some cases to a remission or a cure while others develop symptoms, aggressive disease and death. An efficient immune response to pathogens and / or tumors involves the highly orchestrated interaction of multiple cells and molecules.
The complexity of the immune system dictates that the identification of the mechanisms that lead to immune protection is not a trivial endeavor and will require novel approaches and tools. VGTI-Florida demarcates itself from other research institutions by its focus on human immunology and its approach, which relies on the application of several state of the art technologies that allow a global unbiased analysis of the immune response in order to accelerate the pace of discovery of immune based therapies and vaccines. The development of such preventative and therapeutic strategies has been hampered by the lack of adequate models that can predict success of these interventions in humans and of tools that can identify the mechanisms that can lead to favorable disease outcome. The resources at VGTI-FL allow researchers at the institute to have access to the latest technologies, clinical samples and data management tools to facilitate rapid discoveries and foster the movement of scientific discoveries from the bench to the patient bedside in an efficient and progressive manner.
Scientists at VGTI-FL are focused on
VGTI-FL has assembled a research team of scientists from over 20 nations who are now working at the facility in Port St. Lucie daily in the quest for finding novel cures and treatments to these once considered “incurable” diseases. Researchers at VGTI-FL have collaborations with research and clinical partners throughout the state of Florida as well as with partners across the globe.
Scientists at VGTI-FL are focused on
- Identifying mechanisms and strategies that can lead to cures for HIV
- Identifying molecules that can boost the immune response and serve to improve the efficacy of vaccines in elderly subjects
- Identifying mechanisms that can lead to the development of improved immune therapies for cancer
- Identifying mechanisms that can lead to the development of better vaccines to HIV and emerging viral infections such as Dengue fever and pandemic influenza .
VGTI-FL has assembled a research team of scientists from over 20 nations who are now working at the facility in Port St. Lucie daily in the quest for finding novel cures and treatments to these once considered “incurable” diseases. Researchers at VGTI-FL have collaborations with research and clinical partners throughout the state of Florida as well as with partners across the globe.