Vaccine Trials Group

The Vaccine Trials Group (VTG) team of doctors, nurses, researchers, scientists, students and phlebotomists is testing and evaluating the safety and effectiveness of new vaccines for a range of diseases, as well as monitoring vaccines.

The VTG was established in 2000 to provide a coordinated approach to the development, delivery, assessment and promotion of vaccines, infectious disease and allergy treatments in the community.

• View our current studies

Area of research interest for the Vaccine Trials Group are:

• Meningococcal vaccines - Phase 1 to 3 trials of Meningococcal B and Meningococcal ACWY vaccines as well a combination Hib/MenC vaccine
• Influenza - trials of vaccines against swine flu and bird flu, assessing the effectiveness of maternal vaccination in prevention of influenza in young babies, and evaluating the effectiveness of influenza vaccine in young children
• Human Papillomavirus - testing of HPV vaccines in women and teens to prevent cervical cancer
• RSV bronchiolitis - studies of the effectiveness of a new RSV vaccine given to pregnant mothers in preventing their babies being admitted to hospital with RSV infection and evaluating a new antibody treatment in preventing preterm infants getting RSV disease
• Surveillance of vaccine preventable diseases - follow-up of children who are hospitalised with diseases that are vaccine preventable.
• Vaccine safety - developing new ways of showing safety of vaccines being used in our immunisation program
• Whooping cough - studies looking at duration of immunity after whooping cough vaccines in healthcare workers, pregnant mums and their babies

Infectious diseases are still the most common cause of death in children and the most common reason that children under two years of age are admitted to hospital.

Worldwide, 10 million children under the age of five die from infection each year. Immunisation is the most effective way of preventing children being admitted to hospital or dying from infectious diseases and saves millions of lives around the world every year.