The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) said it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) on Thursday to collaborate on global vaccine research.

The MOU is based on the consensus that KAIST, which boasts excellent research capabilities in the fields of medicine and life sciences, and IVI, which has international research capabilities and global networks in vaccines, should work together to promote global health.

The two organizations will collaborate in four main areas: vaccine immune response analysis projects, joint research with global health partners, strengthening research and education in the medical and life sciences, and improving access to healthcare and vaccines in developing countries.

Specifically, the project for analyzing vaccine immune responses will leverage KAIST's accumulated technology platform for human immune response analysis. The goal is to accelerate the development of effective vaccines by jointly analyzing the immune responses of various vaccines currently being developed by IVI, including vaccines for severe febrile thrombocytopenia syndrome virus, hantavirus, and adenovirus.

In addition to analyzing cellular immune responses at the molecular level and discovering biomarkers of vaccine immune responses, KAIST will also cooperate with IVI in areas such as providing training on analytical technologies.

For the benefit of healthcare in developing countries, epidemiological studies, immunization campaigns, and healthcare infrastructure improvement projects will be conducted together, as well as multidisciplinary research in the areas of intellectual property rights and law to help improve access to vaccines and essential medicines.

"The synergies between IVI's global network and KAIST's research excellence will enable both organizations to accelerate the development of innovative vaccines, improve global health equity, and become leading vaccine research organizations," said IVI Director General Jerome Kim.

"Our collaboration with IVI encompasses technology transfer, research, people-to-people exchanges, infrastructure sharing, and community contributions. This partnership aims to bolster our capabilities in medicine and life sciences, covering vaccines and immunology, thereby contributing to global health," said KAIST President Lee Kwang-hyung.