Dr. Scott Halperin heads world-class vaccine research and development centre
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and nowhere is this more true than in the realm of infectious diseases. “There are no therapies for many of the emerging infections we are seeing around the world,” says Dr. Scott Halperin, director of the Canadian Center for Vaccinology at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax. “Preventing these potentially deadly infections with vaccines is the best way to combat them.”
Dr. Halperin, who is also head of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the IWK, is part of a clinical trial led by Dr. Joanne Langley to test the safety and effectiveness of an experimental vaccine against pandemic influenza. “This vaccine is based on the strain of avian flu virus that most readily spreads from birds to humans,” he notes. “Should the virus mutate so it can spread from human to human, this vaccine will be critical.”
Needle-free vaccines are one of Dr. Halperin’s key interests. He and colleague Dr. Song Lee are pioneering a vaccine for the whooping cough that’s given through a nasal spray. “Nasal vaccines deliver the immunity exactly where it’s needed – at the site of the initial infection,” he says. “Plus they are cheaper, easier and more pleasant to deliver.”
Another innovative project is testing ‘maternal immunity’ against whooping cough (pertussis). “Most pertussis deaths occur in the vulnerable period between birth and the first vaccine at two months of age,” Dr. Halperin explains. “We are vaccinating pregnant women to see if enough immunity is passed to their babies to protect them from birth.”
As director of the Canadian Center for Vaccinology, Dr. Halperin leads a team of more than 20 investigators. These range from basic scientists who explore infections and how to prevent them, to clinical researchers who evaluate new vaccines, to specialists in health policy, ethics and law who inform health care providers, administrators, and policymakers.