TEXAS CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL CENTER FOR VACCINE DEVELOPMENT TEAM RECEIVES 2023 DAVID AND BEATRIX HAMBURG AWARD FOR VACCINE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

Annual award recognizes advances in biomedical research and clinical medicine

HOUSTON, Sept. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas Children's Hospital is pleased to announce that the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development team has been awarded the 2023 David and Beatrix Hamburg Award for their development of a recombinant protein-based COVID-19 vaccine technology, created in Houston, which has benefited millions of people around the world.

"Developing and testing safe, effective and affordable vaccines represents the product or deliverable of true team science, and I'm personally thrilled to see this type of appreciation and endorsement by one of our nation's most important biomedical academies," said Peter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., co-director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

The Hamburg Award is awarded by the National Academy of Medicine in recognition of an exceptional biomedical research discovery that has fundamentally enriched our understanding of human biology and disease, leading to a significant reduction of disease burden and improvement in human health.

"Our group of scientists works together across disciplines to develop and advance vaccines for tropical and emerging infectious diseases that disproportionately affect the poorest and most vulnerable individuals around the world," said Maria Elena Bottazzi, Ph.D., co-director of the Center for Vaccine Development at Texas Children's Hospital and senior associate dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.  "This recognition reinforces the importance of fostering exceptional, creative and interdisciplinary scientific teams to advance biomedical sciences that benefit humanity."

In addition to Drs. Hotez and Bottazzi, several other team members from the Texas Children's Hospital's Center for Vaccine Development were recognized including:

• Wen-Hsiang Chen, Ph.D., assay development and quality control unit leader, assistant professor in pediatric tropical medicine at Baylor College of Medicine
• Jason Kimata, Ph.D., genetic engineering unit leader, associate professor of molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine
• Jungsoon Lee, Ph.D., process development unit leader, tropical medicine research director at Baylor College of Medicine
• Zhuyun Liu, M.S., process development unit leader, tropical medicine research director at Baylor College of Medicine
• Jeroen Pollet, Ph.D., formulation and delivery unit leader, assistant professor in the Pediatric Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine
• Bin Zhan, M.D., molecular biology unit leader, associate professor in Pediatric Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine

The Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, in partnership with BCM Ventures, Baylor College of Medicine's integrated commercialization team, enabled the technology transfer of the COVID-19 vaccine technology to developing countries' vaccine manufactures to produce and advance the vaccine. In India, the vaccine is produced under the name Corbevax by Biological E. Limited. Botswana has also approved Corbevax and the Texas Children's team is further assisting with vaccine development capacity in Africa through a training program for scientists. In Indonesia, the vaccine is produced by manufacturer Bio Farma under the name IndoVac.

ABOUT TEXAS CHILDREN'S
Texas Children's, a nonprofit health care organization, is committed to creating a healthier future for children and women throughout the global community by leading in patient care, education and research. Consistently ranked as the best children's hospital in Texas and among the top in the nation, Texas Children's has garnered widespread recognition for its expertise and breakthroughs in pediatric and women's health. The system includes the Texas Children's Duncan NRI; the Feigin Tower for pediatric research; Texas Children's Pavilion for Women, a comprehensive obstetrics/gynecology facility focusing on high-risk births; Texas Children's Hospital West Campus, a community hospital in suburban West Houston; and Texas Children's Hospital The Woodlands, the first hospital devoted to children's care for communities north of Houston. The organization also created Texas Children's Health Plan, the nation's first HMO for children; Texas Children's Pediatrics, the largest pediatric primary care network in the country; Texas Children's Urgent Care clinics that specialize in after-hours care tailored specifically for children; and a global health program that s channeling care to children and women all over the world. Texas Children's Hospital is affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine. For more information, visit www.texaschildrens.org. 

ABOUT TEXAS CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL CENTER FOR VACCINE DEVELOPMENT
Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development is one of the leading vaccine development centers in the world. Established in Washington DC as the Sabin Vaccine Institute Product Development Partnership (PDP) in the year 2000 and after relocating to the Texas Medical Center in 2011, it rebranded as Texas Children's Center for Vaccine Development. For the past two decades it has acquired an international reputation as a non-profit PDP, advancing vaccines for poverty-related neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and emerging infectious diseases of pandemic importance. In addition, it builds and strengthens capacity for vaccine development locally and with foreign nations and leads global efforts to guide and influence vaccine policy and advocacy through "vaccine diplomacy" as an international bridge for peace and vaccine development capacity.

SOURCE Texas Children's Hospital