Paul A. Offit, MD
Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Professor of Pediatrics
Maurice R. Hilleman Professor of Vaccinology
The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

Gene Therapy and Vaccines Program

Address

Division of Infectious Diseases
Abramson Research Building, Room 1202D
34th Street and Civic Center Blvd.
Philadelphia, PA 19104

Office Phone: 215-590-2020
Lab Phone: 215-590-5152
Fax: 215-590-2025
E-mail: offit@email.chop.edu

Link(s)

Dr. Offit's Immunology Grad Group Page

Education

Tufts University: BS (Psychology), 1973.

University of Maryland School of Medicine: MD, 1977.

Research Interests

• rotavirus, rotavirus vaccine, intestinal immunity.

Key words: rotavirus, rotavirus vaccine, intestinal immunity.

Search PubMed for articles

Description of Research

We studied the genetics of rotavirus virulence, rotavirus neutralization phenotype and protein-specificities of rotavirus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes as a prelude to making a bovine-human reassortant rotavirus vaccine. The vaccine, RotaTeq, was licensed by the Food and Drug Administration in February, 2006.

Recent Publications

Clark HF, Bernstein DI, Dennehy P, Offit P, Pichichero M, Treanor J, Ward RL, Krah, DL, Shaw A, Dallas MJ, Eiden JJ, Ivanoff N, Kaplan KM, Heaton P. 2004. Safety, efficacy, and immunogenicity of a live, quadrivalent human-bovine reassortant rotavirus vaccine in healthy infants. J. Pediatr. 144:184-190.

Offit, P.A. 2005. Why are pharmaceutical companies gradually abandoning vaccines? Health Affairs Journal, 24:622-630.

Offit, P.A. 2005. The Cutter Incident, 50 years later. N. Engl. J. Med. 352:1411-1412.

Vesikari T, Matson DO, Dennehy P, Van Damme P, Santosham M, Rodriguez Z, Dallas, MJ, Heyse JF, Gouveia MG, Black SB, Shinefield HR, Christie C, Ylitalo S, Itzler RF, Coia ML, Onorato MT, Adeyi BA, Marshall GS, Gothefors L, Campens D, Karvonen A, Watt JP, O’Brien KL, DiNubile MJ, Clark HF, Boslego JW, Offit PA, Heaton PM. 2006. Safety and efficacy of pentavalent human-bovine (WC3) reassortant rotavirus vaccine in preventing rotavirus gastroenteritis and associated healthcare contacts. N. Engl. J. Med 354:13-23.

Lab

Rotation Projects for 2006-2007

None. The laboratory closed in December, 2005. My professional time is devoted to running the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia: an international center that creates educational materials for parents and healthcare professionals and runs on an endowment yielding about $500,000 per year.