IMBCAMS was established in 1958, and researchers there developed an attenuated poliomyelitis vaccine shortly after. It was effective in slowing the spread of polio in China.

However, the attenuated vaccine contained a weakened form of the pathogens, which had the potential to become a source of polio reemergence. To eradicate the disease in China, IMBCAMS researchers set out to develop an inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) that contains no live virueses, but can still generate an immune response.

IPV is typically produced from wild-type poliovirus (WPV) strains, which has very stringent manufacturing controls. Given the risks of large quantities of WPV, the IMBCAMS team aimed for a safer alternative. They found that IPV prepared from attenuated Sabin strains can generate the same level of immune response and protective efficacy as that from wild strains. They also explored the safety and immunogenicity of this Sabin-IPV (sIPV), providing guidance for its clinical use.

In 2015, the sIPV developed by IMBCAMS gained new drug application approval, offering a more affordable and safer way to produce IPV.

IMBCAMS also developed the live-attenuated vaccine for hepatitis A virus (HAV) in 1992, responding to a major outbreak in China in 1988. Using the marmoset as the animal model, researchers established HAV attenuation/virulence indicators, which provided criteria for evaluating the attenuation and protection efficacy of vaccine strains. They also selected an HAV strain with good immunogenicity, strong proliferation capacity, and high stability for vaccine production. Capable of promoting immunity without inducing the disease, this vaccine, primarily used in China, achieves ideal efficacy with a one-dose regimen.

Designated as a World Health Organization Collaborative Research Center on Enterovirus, IMBCAMS is also known for its launch of one of the world’s first inactivated enterovirus-71 (EV71) vaccine for hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD). Characterized by sores in the mouth and rashes on the hands and feet, the HFMD virus may lead to fatal cardiopulmonary failure in severe cases. When China first experienced an outbreak, IMBCAMS quickly responded by isolating the major pathogen, EV71. Via screening, researchers identified the vaccine strain suitable for large-scale production.

Researchers also developed rhesus monkey models capable of inducing the clinical symptoms for studying HFMD infection, its pathological and immunological mechanisms, and for evaluating vaccine efficacy. In comparing response to viral infection and vaccine antigen in children and monkeys, researchers observed a similar increase in neutralizing antibodies, and comparable T cell immune responses, indicating positive prospects for clinical translation. Based on the results from these preclinical studies, clinical trials were performed, and showed good immune persistence, immune memory effect, and effective protection of the vaccine.

The latest disease control effort by IMBCAMS is focused on the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the primate model created at the National High-level Biosafety Primate Research Center, an affiliate of IMBCAMS, researchers have explored the proliferation and inactivation mechanism of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and developed an inactivated vaccine candidate. The vaccine candidate has completed phase I/II/III clinical trials and been approved for listing in China mainland.