Cornelia L. Dekker, M.D.
Research Interests
The overarching theme of our research activities is human response to natural virus infection and to vaccines. We have conducted several studies of adult, toddler and infant immune response to initial infection with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). Our latest is a large-scale project in which we have screened 20,000 newborn infants at Stanford, El Camino and Santa Clara Valley Hospitals for evidence of congenital HCMV infection. Those infants identified as being infected are enrolled into a 3-year prospective study for medical, audiology and immunology screening. The hearing screening portion is designed to identify, as early as possible, infants who develop sensorineural hearing loss as a result of this infection.
A second area of clinical research is supported by Dr. Ann Arvin and Dr. Mark Davis' NIH-funded U19 project entitled "Protective Mechanisms Against Pandemic Respiratory Virus". To support the lab projects we immunize children and adults (including elderly)with one of two different, licensed influenza vaccines to study in detail the immune response to immunization. The two vaccine preparations are live, attenuated influenza vaccine given intranasally, and inactivated vaccine given intramuscularly. Blood samples collected from study subjects are analyzed for traditional antibody, B-cell Elispot, CD4 and CD8 T-cell responses and NK-cell responses by Stanford collaborators.
Our group also is funded as part of the Vaccine Treatment and Evaluation Units by NIH through our collaborators at Vanderbilt University. We are conducting studies of avian and seasonal influenza vaccines and a new malaria vaccine.
A fourth area of interest is vaccine safety. Stanford is one of six designated Centers for Immunization Safety Assessment (CISA) sponsored by the CDC. The network provides consultation to CDC on evaluation and treatment of adverse events following immunization with licensed vaccines, develops protocols to study certain events that occur following immunization (including hypersensitivity reactions, safety of live viral vaccines in immunodeficient children, Guillain-Barre syndrome).
In addition to the above-mentioned, government-supported research activities, we also conduct clinical studies of vaccines sponsored by the vaccine industry. For further information about ongoing studies, please refer to our website at http://vaccines.stanford.edu.
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