Vaccine Trials Group

The mission of the Vaccine Trials Group is to improve the health of the community through immunisation and the prevention of infectious diseases.

The Vaccine Trials Group (VTG) team of doctors, nurses, researchers, scientists, students and phlebotomists is testing and evaluating the safety and effectiveness of new vaccines for a range of diseases, as well as monitoring vaccines.

The VTG was established in 2000 to provide a coordinated approach to the development, delivery, assessment and promotion of vaccines, infectious disease and allergy treatments in the community. The team plays a vital role in the development and evaluation of vaccines recommended for children and adults throughout Australia.

The VTG leads national studies focusing on a range of diseases including influenza,
pneumococcal, meningococcal, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and whooping cough.

Team leader

Peter Richmond

MBBS MRCP(UK) FRACP

Head, Vaccine Trials Group

Team members (16)

Jennifer Kent

Clinical Research Manager

Email me

Christian Tjiam

BSc BMedSc(hons) PhD

Honorary Research Associate

Email me

Zoe Ellis

Clinical Laboratory Coordinator

Camille Gibson

Research Nurse

Jan Jones

Laboratory Research Assistant

Karen Jones

Executive Assistant

Sonia McAlister

Postdoctorial Researcher

Kieran Veale

Research Nurse

Ushma Wadia

Clinical Research Fellow

Miriam West

Research Nurse

Kerrie Lisgaris

Research Nurse

Jonah Macliver

Laboratory Research Assistant

Shania Tansil

Laboratory Research Assistant

Chantalia Tedja

Laboratory Research Assistant

Madeline Ong

Clinical Research Fellow

Julia Kets

Research Nurse

Vaccine Trials Group projects

Show more projects

Featured projects

BCG vaccination to Reduce the impact of COVID-19 in Australian healthcare workers following Coronavirus Exposure (BRACE) Trial

Learn more

August 2020

ATOMIC Ears: A Phase IIB randomised controlled trial to assess safety, tolerability and acceptability of a 5-day Dornase alfa treatment as an adjunct therapy to ventilation tube insertion for otitis media in children

Learn more

August 2020

Other projects

Sore Throat Melbourne and Perth Study: The Australian Strep A Vaccine Initiative (ASAVI) Urban Pharyngitis Surveillance Study (STAMPS) COVALIA (COVid vaccine trial for austrALIA): A phase I, double-blind, dose-ranging, randomised, placebo-controlled trial to study the safety and immunogenicity of a DNA-based vaccine against COVID-19 (COVIGEN) in healthy participants aged 18 to 75 years o A phase IIIB, randomized, controlled, observer-blind study to evaluate safety and immunogenicity of GSK’s meningococcal ABCWY vaccine when administered in healthy adolescents and adults, previously primed with meningococcal ACWY vaccine (BOOST) A phase 3, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial toevaluate the efficacy and safety of a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) prefusion F subunit vaccine in infants born to women vaccinated during pregnancy (Matisse) Safety and Immunogenicity of Early Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine: A phase 2prospective randomised open-label feasibility study (FluBub) A Phase 3, randomized, double-blind trial to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine given as a series of 2 infant doses and 1 toddler dose in healthy infants (NeXXstep) All Vaccine Trials Group projects

Past projects

The Long-term Impact of Serogroup B Invasive Meningococcal Disease (IMD) in Australian Adolescents and Young Adults: AMEND study A phase 3, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, active-comparator-controlled study to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of V114 in healthy infants (PNEU-PED-EU-1) A Phase 3, Randomized, Observer-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Group-Sequential Study to Determine the Immunogenicity and Safety of a Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) F Nanoparticle Vaccine with Aluminium in Healthy Third-trimester Pregnant Women; and Safety A Phase II Randomized, Controlled, Observer-Blinded Study, Conducted to Describe the Immunogenicity, Safety, and Tolerability of a Neisseria Meningitidis Serogroup B Bivalent Recombinant Lipoprotein 2086 Vaccine When Administered to Healthy Toddlers Testing the meningococcal conjugate vaccine MenACWY-TT in toddlers Phase 2b Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of MEDI8897, a Monoclonal Antibody With an Extended Half-life Against Respiratory Syncytial Virus, in Healthy Preterm Infants TESTOV Pneumo A study to determine the safety and immunogenicity of 10-valent and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines in Papua New Guinean children PneumoWA: A case-control study of the role of viral and bacterial pathogens in causing pneumonia among Western Australian children Study of an oral medication for infants hospitalized with Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) infection Efficacy, Immunogenicity, and Safety Study of Clostridium difficile Toxoid Vaccine in Subjects at Risk for C. difficile Infection

Vaccine Trials Group

News

Protecting children against food allergies

Reports and Findings

Who is at risk of a respiratory syncytial virus hospitalisation? A linked, population-based birth cohort analysis in children aged less than 5 years

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of acute lower respiratory infections globally in children under five years. With the development of RSV prevention strategies, understanding risk factors and relation to age and population is useful for deciding the type of program implemented.

Published research Immunisation Infectious Diseases Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Vaccine Trials Group Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Respiratory viral infections

Learn more

August 2025

Respiratory Syncytial Virus Strain Evolution and Mutations in Western Australia in the Context of Nirsevimab Prophylaxis

Nirsevimab is a long-acting monoclonal antibody used to prevent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in infants and high-risk children. During the 2024 RSV season in Western Australia, 21 922 doses were administered to infants entering their first season and 1221 doses to at-risk children. In this context, the selection and spread of escape variants are a potential concern. This study aimed to investigate nirsevimab binding site mutations using clinical and wastewater data.

Published research Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Vaccine Trials Group Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Respiratory viral infections Child and adolescent health

Learn more

August 2025

Immune impacts of infant whole-cell and acellular pertussis vaccination on co-administered vaccines

We compared the effect of a heterologous wP/aP/aP primary series (hereafter mixed wP/aP) versus a homologous aP/aP/aP primary schedule (hereafter aP-only) on antibody responses to co-administered vaccine antigens in infants and toddlers.

Published research Early Childhood Development Whooping Cough Infectious Diseases Pregnancy and Early Life Immunology Infectious Disease Implementation Research Vaccine Trials Group Child and adolescent health

Learn more

June 2025

Estimating the impact of Western Australia's first respiratory syncytial virus immunisation program for all infants: A mathematical modelling study

The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration approved the use of nirsevimab, a long-acting monoclonal antibody for the prevention of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), in November 2023. Western Australia (WA) implemented a combination of nirsevimab administration strategies designed to protect all infants starting in April 2024, before the epidemic season. We developed a dynamic transmission model to predict the impact of WA's RSV immunisation program on infant hospitalisations.

Published research Immunisation Infectious Diseases Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Vaccine Trials Group Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Respiratory viral infections

Learn more

May 2025

Show all