VaxInfo Consortium: Bridging Vaccine Research through Collaborative Informatics

In today’s fast-paced world of medical research and technology, the VaxInfo Consortium stands as a beacon for vaccine researchers worldwide. Serving as a pivotal hub for collaborative endeavors, the Consortium harnesses the capabilities of biomedical ontologies, knowledge representation, and artificial intelligence. This fusion of disciplines aims to streamline and elevate the quality of vaccine research and development. By integrating cutting-edge methodologies like natural language processing and machine learning, our consortium seeks to unravel the intricate mechanisms behind vaccines, pioneering a new age in vaccine reverse engineering.

We aim to pool collective expertise and knowledge across various specialized domains. From establishing the Minimal Information about Vaccine Information Standard (MIVIS) to catalyzing shared initiatives in vaccine design, our dedicated working groups champion the cause of harmonized methodologies and standards. By combining different areas of vaccine study, like VO (Vaccine Ontology), VIDO (Vaccine Investigation Ontology), VICO (Vaccination Informed Consent Ontology), and OVAE (Ontology of Vaccine Adverse Events), we gain a fuller picture of how vaccines are created, how they work, and what side effects might arise.

In a testament to our unwavering commitment to international collaboration and the dissemination of pioneering knowledge, the VaxInfo Consortium takes pride in organizing the annual VDOS (Vaccine and Drug Ontology Studies) meeting series. These events provide a platform for researchers, developers, and practitioners worldwide, fostering a space to share groundbreaking insights, innovative solutions, and the challenges faced in vaccine informatics. Our collaboration with esteemed events, such as the International Conference on Biomedical Ontology (ICBO), further underscores our dedication to the cause. Moreover, our consortium's mission to champion the FAIRness (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability) of vaccine data remains steadfast, ensuring global accessibility to invaluable insights and groundbreaking discoveries.

We invite you to join us on this transformative journey, where the synergy between informatics technologies and expansive vaccine research creates unparalleled opportunities.

Goal:

The goal of VIWG is to promote vaccine community wide research sharing, discussion, standardization, and collaboration.

Tasks:

• Organize regular meetings.

• Minimal Information Stanard Working Group

  • Minimal Information about Vaccine Information Stanard (MIVIS)
  • Vaccine naming convention

• Ontology Working Group

  • Vaccine Ontology (VO) development
  • Vaccine Investigation Ontology (VIDO) development
  • Vaccination Informed Consent Ontology (VICO) development
  • The Ontology of Vaccine Adverse Events (OVAE)

• Vaccine Design Working Group

  • Build up the gold standard datasets for vaccine design
  • Promote shared vaccine design studies

Organizations and Members

• University of Michigan: Oliver He, Jie Zheng, Anthony Huffman
• University of North Dakoda: Junguk Hur, Hasin Rehana
• UTHealth Houston: Cui Tao, Jianfu Li
• University of Maryland Medical School: Herve Tettelin