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The work was carried out by John Enders, Thomas Huckle Weller ad Frederick Chapman Robbins. They published their achievement in TH Weller, FC Robbins, JH Enders, 'Cultivation of poliomyelitis virus in cultures of human foreskin and embryonic tissues', Science, 109/2822 (1949), 85-7. The work paved the way for the two kinds of effective poliovirus vaccine, the inactivated poliovirus vaccine of Jonas E. Salk and the live oral polio vaccine of Albert B. Sabin. The three scientists received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1954. 1949-01-28T00:00:00+0000| 28 Jan 1949 | | Polio virus successfully grown on human embryonic cells in cultureEnders, Weller, Robbins | Boston Children's Hospital | Cell culture, Vaccine, Virology |
The first polio vaccine, developed by Jonas Salk, was tested on children from Arsenal Elementary School in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Nearly 2 million children in 44 states were tested. The trial showed the vaccine to be effective. The vaccine radically reduced the number of polio victims around the world.1954-02-23T00:00:00+0000| 23 Feb 1954 | | Salk polio vaccine trial beganSalk | University of Pittsburgh | Virology, Vaccines, Infectious diseases |
The Sabin vaccine is an oral vaccine that contains weakened forms of strains of polio viruses. It proved easier to give than an earlier injectable vaccine developed by Jonas Salk, in 1954, and its effects lasted longer. The vaccine was designed to work in the intestines to block the polio virus from entering the bloodstream. It therefore provided a means to break transmission chain of the virus and opened the way to eradicating polio. 1956-10-06T00:00:00+0000| 6 Oct 1956 | | Albert Sabin announced his oral polio vaccine was ready for mass testing on an international basisAlbert Sabin | Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research | Vaccines |
Mice injected with BCG vaccine shown to develop resistance to growth of implanted tumours. The finding was published in LJ Old, DA Clarke, B Benacerraf, 'Effect of bacillus calmette-guerin infection on transplanted tumours in the mouse', Nature, 184 (1959), 291-92.1959-07-25T00:00:00+0000| 25 Jul 1959 | | First direct evidence of the immune system's ability to prevent cancer provided by Lloyd Old and colleaguesOld, Clarke, Benacerraf | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center | Cancer immunotherapy, Oncology, Vaccines |
Goodpasture was an American research scientists who developed the first method for culturing uncontaminated viruses in chicken embryos and fertilised chicken eggs. Before this viruses were grown in living tissues which could be contaminated by bacteria. Goodpasture's method laid the foundation for the mass production of vaccines for diseases like smallpox, yellow fever, typhus and chicken pox. He was also a key pioneer in the development of the mumps vaccine. 1960-09-20T00:00:00+0000| 20 Sep 1960 | | Ernest Goodpasture diedGoodpasture | Harvard University | Virology, Vaccines |
Created by Leonard Hayflick and Paul S Moorhead.1962-01-01T00:00:00+0000| 1962 | | WI-38 cell line developed - important to development of vaccinesHayflick, Moorhead | Wistar Institute | Vaccine, Virology |
Rivers was a bacteriologist and virologist whose development of a tissue culture for the vaccinia virus, in 1931, paved the way to the development of a vaccine against yellow-fever. He also made important contributions to understanding the viral causes of influenza and chickenpox. Rivers served as the director of the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research (1937-56) and chaired the virus research committee of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (now the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) (1938-1955) which oversaw the development of the Salk and Sabin vaccines against polio.1962-05-12T00:00:00+0000| 12 May 1962 | | Thomas M Rivers diedRivers | Rockefeller Institute | Virology, Bacteriology, Vaccines |
Developed by Samuel Katz and John F Enders, the vaccine would later be incorporated into the MMR, a combination vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella.1963-01-01T00:00:00+0000| 1963 - 1963 | | Development of first attentuated measles virus vaccineEnders, Katz | | Vaccines, Virology, Infectious diseases |
The vaccine was made by Maurice Hilleman using material taken from his daughter, Jeryl Lynn, when she suffered measles. The Jeryl strain of the mumps vaccine is still in use today and used in the MMR vaccine.1963-01-01T00:00:00+0000| 1963 | | Creation of first vaccine against mumpsHilleman | Merck & Co | Vaccines, Virology, Infectious diseases |
Dick originally trained as a zoologist and then completed a medical degree. She made her name studying scarlet fever after she herself caught the disease. In 1923 she and her husband George Dick, worked out that the disease was caused by a toxin released by a strain of Streptococcus bacteria. This enabled them to create an antitoxin for treatment and vaccine for prevention. She also devised a technique to prevent cross infection of scarlet fever among infants. Known as the Dick Aseptic Nursery Technique this promoted strict sterilisation and aseptic procedures.1963-08-21T00:00:00+0000| 21 Aug 1963 | | Gladys Rowena H Dick diedGladys Dick | University of Chicago, John R. McCormick Institute for Infectious Diseases, St Luke's Hospital | Vaccine |
Dick was an American physician and bacteriologist who made his name studying scarlet fever. In 1923 he and his wife, Gladys Rowena Dick, worked out that the disease was caused by a toxin released by a strain of Streptococcus bacteria. This enabled them to create an antitoxin for treatment and vaccine for prevention. They also developed a skin test to determine a person's susceptibility to the disease.1967-10-10T00:00:00+0000| 10 Oct 1967 | | George Frederick Dick diedGeorge Dick | Rush Medical College, University of Chicago | Vaccines, Infectious diseases |
Hilleman launched the work based on sample HBsAg supplied to him by Alfred Prince1968-01-01T00:00:00+0000| 1968 | | Maurice Hilleman began investigating use of HBsAg to develop hepatitis B vaccine Hilleman | Merck | Vaccines, Infectious diseases |
The vaccine, RA27/3 had been developed by a team headed by Stanley Plotkin.1969-01-01T00:00:00+0000| 1969 - 1970 | | First license approved in US and Europe for vaccine against rubella (German measles)Plotkin | Wistar Institute | Vaccines, Virology, Infectious diseases |
Francis was an American microbiologist and epidemiologist. He is credited with the discovery and isolation of the two strains of virus that cause influenza. Francis discovered the first one (A) in 1934 and the other (B) in 1940. He went on to develop an effective polyvalent vaccine against both strains. Francis was also involved in research that paved the way to the development of antiserums for the treatment of pneumonia. He was also the director of the large-scale clinical trials conducted in 1954 that led to the widespread adoption of the Salk vaccine against poliomyelitis.1969-10-01T00:00:00+0000| 1 Oct 1969 | | Thomas Francis Jr diedFrancis | University of Michigan | Vaccine |
Baruch Blumberg and Irving Millman appled for the patent following pressure from the Federal government to show applications from basic research. BS Blumberg, I Millman 'Vaccine against viral hepatitis and process', US patent 3636191A1969-10-08T00:00:00+0000| 8 Oct 1969 | | Blumberg and Millman applied for patent to use HBsAg to produce hepatitis B vaccineBlumberg, Millman | Fox Chase Cancer Center | Vaccines |
Stanley was an American biochemist and virologist. In 1935 he managed to crystalise the tobacco virus, the causative agent of plant disease. This was a major breakthrough because prior to this no scientists had succeeded in finding out what viruses were. His work laid the foundation for other scientists, using x-ray diffraction, to work out the precise molecular structures and reproduction process of several viruses. During World War II he managed to purify several of the most common influenza viruses and developed a vaccine that was partly effective. In 1946 he shared the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for the 'preparation of enzymes and virus proteins in a pure form.' 1971-06-15T00:00:00+0000| 15 Jun 1971 | | Wendell M Stanley diedStanley | Rockefeller Institute | Biochemistry, Virology, Vaccines |
BS Blumberg, I Millman 'Vaccine against viral hepatitis and process', US patent 3636191A1972-01-18T00:00:00+0000| 18 Jan 1972 | | Patent granted to Blumberg and Millman for making hepatitis B vaccineBlumberg, Millman | | Vaccines |
Theiler was a South African trained physician who specialised in infectious diseases. He is best known for helping to show that yellow fever is caused by a virus and his development of a safe and effective vaccine against the disease. This work he did in the 1930s while based at the International Health Division of the Rockefeller Foundation. His first vaccine was used by the French government to protect the residents of French territories in Western Africa. A second one, an improved version, was launched in Brazil in 1938. Over 400 million doses of this vaccine was given out to people over the next 60 years. Theiler was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1951 for his yellow fever vaccine. 1972-08-11T00:00:00+0000| 11 Aug 1972 | | Max Theiler diedTheiler | | Vaccines, Infectious diseases |
1975-01-01T00:00:00+0000| 1975 | | Pasteur Institute scientists started to develop fractionation method to purify HBsAg from plasma to produce hepatitis B vaccineTiollais | Pasteur Institute | Vaccines |
AU Bertland, AA Tytell, GP Lampson, E Buynak, 'Method for purifying hepatitis B antigen'm US Patent US4017360A. The patent was granted 12 April 1977.1975-05-14T00:00:00+0000| 14 May 1975 | | Merck filed US patent for technique to purify hepatitis B antigenBertland, Tytell, Lampson, Buynak | Merck | Vaccines, Infectious diseases |
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