Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center

The Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center (VIC) at Massachusetts General Hospital was founded in 2008 to accelerate the translation of laboratory discoveries into new, safe, broadly applicable cost-effective vaccines and therapies to prevent and cure various forms of cancer, infectious and immune mediated diseases.

Committed to a Cure

In a unique collaboration, VIC works with medical, scientific and business professionals, companies and organizations that can move the process of research further toward the practical application of vaccines and immunotherapies in medical care. VIC is committed to the support of cutting-edge research initiatives to accelerate their transition from discovery to first in human studies.

VIC's Leadership

VIC is directed by Mark Poznansky, MD, PhD, a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Attending Physician in General and Transplant Infectious Diseases at Mass General. In addition to Dr. Poznansky’s extensive research and clinical experience, VIC has the support of Associate Director Ann Sluder, PhD, and an expanding research team of committed scientists. VIC is also backed by a large and diverse network of advisors who have extensive expertise in the science behind its innovations, in the manufacturing and regulatory challenges that face new drugs and vaccines, and in the business and finance environments of the life sciences.

Supporting Research

VIC's single most important metric for success is the efficient and effective transition of new vaccines and immunotherapies for cancer, infectious diseases and immune-mediated diseases from bench to patient bedside. VIC works with a wide range of technologies and is currently managing five at the preclinical stage of development and four that are entering first in human testing. Technologies under development at VIC address the prevention or treatment of influenza, Q fever, ovarian cancer, mesothelioma, type 1 diabetes and ALS. Scientists have the benefit enormously from established and highly productive interactive relationships with a number of dynamic laboratory teams within the Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital.

Growing Support for VIC

Private philanthropy has played a key role in underpinning the success that we have seen at VIC including from members of the Hill, Croatti, Newton, Ward and Feinberg families and from Mary Elizabeth Field and Mona Levenstein. VIC has also been successful in leveraging support for specific projects from governmental organizations like the NIH and Department of Defense, and private foundations, including JDRF, Marsha Rivkin Foundation and the Trinity Foundation.