What does Vaccine Research involve?
• Several research groups of the UMC Utrecht, including the Julius Center, are actively involved in multiple aspects of vaccine research.
• Settings and designs for vaccination research currently vary from communitybased to hospital-based, and from observational studies to double-blind randomized trials.
• Mathematical modeling of transmission and Medical Technology Assessments are part of several PhD studies.
• Most funding is supplied by the Netherlands Health Care Research Organization (ZonMW).
• Prof. M.J.M. Bonten is a NOW-VICI Laureate (Program: integrating molecular biology and mathematical modeling for a broad range of infections).
• Dr. E. Hak is a NWO-VENI Laureate (Program: developing methods to quantify confounding bias in observational influenza vaccination studies).
• Several trials have been sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry.

Databases
• For post-marketing vaccination studies the Julius Center has access to several large databases from large general practice networks, hospital registrations and
pharmacies.
• In the future all data will be integrated in the so-called MONDRIAAN platform, an initiative of the UMC Utrecht, TOPPHARMA and GSK.

Collaborative research projects
Vaccine research in the Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care
is conducted in collaboration with:
• UMC Department of Pediatric Immunology
• UMC Department of Microbiology
• The Netherlands Vaccine Institute
• National Institute for Health and the Environment
• VA Medical Hospital, Minneapolis, MN, USA

Selected scientific publications
• Schönbeck Y, Sanders EA, Hoes AW, Verheij TJ, Schilder AGM, Hak E. Rationale and design of the prevention of respiratory infections and management in children (PRIMAKid) study. A randomized controled trial on the effectiveness and costs of combined influenza and pneumococcal vaccination in pre-school children with recurrent respiratory tract infections. Vaccine. (2005) 23(41):4906-14
• Hak E, Buskens E, Van Essen GA, De Bakker D, Tacken MAJB, Van Hout BA&Verheij TJM. Clinical effectiveness of influenza vaccination in persons with high-risk medical conditions under 65 years. The PRISMA study. Arch. Intern. Med. (2005) 165:274-80
• Looijmans-van den Akker, Verheij ThJM, Buskens E, Nichol KL, Rutten GEHM, Hak E. Clinical effectiveness of first and repeat influenza vaccination in adult and elderly diabetic patients. Diabetes Care (2006) 29(8):1771-6
• Hak E, Buskens E, Nichol KL, Verheij TJM. Do recommended high-risk adults benefit from a first influenza vaccination? Vaccine (2006) 24(15):2799-802
• Hak E, Hoes AW, Nordin J, Nichol KL. Benefits of influenza vaccine in US elderly--appreciating issues of confounding bias and precision. Int. J. Epidemiol. (2006) 35(3):800-2
• Nichol KL, Nordin JD, Nelson D, Mullooly JP, Hak E. Effectiveness of influenza vaccination among elderly. N. Engl. J Med. (2007) 357(14):1373-81

Contact: Marc J.M. Bonten, MD, PhD