Rochester is a center of strong healthcare innovation and pioneering medical research, drawing health researchers and scientists from all over the world.
This spring, one of the pioneers of world-renowned vaccine immunobiology research in Rochester was honored in a ceremony at Rochester General Hospital.
Rochester Regional Health Foundation honored Dr. Porter Warren Anderson, Jr., PhD, ScD for his groundbreaking work in the field of childhood vaccine development and his generosity in supporting the ongoing research at Rochester General Hospital Research Institute that will help to protect the health of future generations of children around the globe.
Dr. Anderson’s work in developing the Haemophilus influenzae B (Hib) and Pneumococcal Conjugate vaccines (Prevnar) earned international recognition as a co-winner of the Lasker Prize for Clinical Medical Research, which recognizes discoveries that have fundamentally changed human health on a global scale. His work, alongside colleagues, literally changed the world for children.
Building a foundation of innovative research in Rochester
In 1964, Dr. Anderson began working with David Smith, MD, at a Harvard Medical School laboratory where he focused on isolating and purifying Hib bacteria components. That professional relationship carried over to Boston Children’s Hospital in 1968 where Dr. Anderson worked as a chemist with Richard Insel, MD, and several other scientists to create a vaccine against Hib using PRP, a specific polysaccharide molecule used to stimulate a child’s immune system to fight off Hib infection.
As research into the development of a Hib vaccine continued into the 1970s, Dr. Anderson moved to Rochester to work at the University of Rochester alongside Dr. Smith, as well as Richard Insel, MD, and Michael Pichichero, MD to refine the science behind the Hib vaccine. In 1983, Dr. Anderson and others founded Praxis Biologics, Inc. in Rochester, which went on to produce vaccines that were used around the world.
Breakthroughs that continue to benefit the world
Within a year of Praxis’ founding, a successful Hib vaccine had been developed through the efforts of Dr. Anderson and his colleagues, alongside the enrollment of Dr. Pichichero’s patients at Elmwood Pediatrics in Rochester in clinical trials.
Dr. Anderson credited the success of the Hib conjugate vaccine to three main features:
- CRM-197 – a mutant form of diphtheria toxin as the carrier protein
- Oligosaccharides being an optimal size
- Linker generated by reductive animation
In 1985, the Hib conjugate vaccine was approved by the FDA. Improved versions of the vaccine also became FDA-approved two years later and entered the U.S. market. The vaccine became a standard part of the childhood immunization regimen in 1990.
According to the Lasker Foundation, the development of the Hib vaccine reduced the number of children diagnosed with Hib meningitis by 98 percent in less than a decade.
Meningitis causes permanent hearing impairment and other neurological conditions in 15-30 percent of patients who survive it. Estimates suggest nearly three million lives around the world have been saved by introducing the Hib conjugate vaccines.
“It’s a huge story for Rochester and the credit goes to Dr. Anderson, the team that worked with him, and the Rochester community that supported our efforts by allowing their children to be vaccinated leading to where we are today. There is no spinal meningitis by these bacteria left in this United States,” said Dr. Pichichero, Vice President, Rochester General Hospital Research Institute and Director, Center for Infectious Diseases and Immunology.
A legacy of lifesaving immunobiology vaccine work
Using the conjugate vaccine technique pioneered by Dr. Anderson and his colleagues, other vaccines were quickly developed in the 1990s and early 2000s, including a Streptococcus pneumoniae vaccine (Prenvar).
Dr. Anderson continues to partner with researchers across the country on childhood vaccine development, including working with Rick Malley, MD, Division of Infectious Diseases at Boston Children’s Hospital on a whole cell pneumococcal vaccine for infants and young children that is currently in clinical testing at Rochester pediatric practices under the direction of Dr. Pichichero.
Through Dr. Anderson’s mentorship and ongoing financial support of the clinical medical research happening at Rochester General Hospital Research Institute, Rochester continues to be a leader in the discovery of innovative medical breakthroughs that will save lives and safeguard the health of future generations.
“Dr. Anderson’s contributions to science, medicine, and education have helped to strengthen our legacy of innovation and care that continue to benefit our community today,” said Kelly Gagan, President of Rochester Regional Health Foundation.
“At Rochester Regional Health, we often talk about delivering compassionate, high-quality care to the communities we serve. This includes our role in preventing illness before it ever reaches the bedside,” said Richard Alweis, MD, Associate Chief Medical Officer for Education at Rochester Regional Health. “Vaccines represent one of the most powerful tools we have to do exactly that. Vaccine research is not just a scientific endeavor—it is a public health imperative.”
“Over the past century, vaccines have transformed medicine. Diseases that once filled hospital wards - polio, measles, diphtheria - have been dramatically reduced or, in some cases, nearly eradicated. These successes didn’t happen by accident. They are the result of sustained investment in research, infrastructure, and public trust. And yet, our work is far from done.”
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