Vaccine and Immunisation Research Group (VIRGo)

VIRGo has been in place for over 20 years and has the largest and longest-standing child and adolescent vaccine research and clinical trials program in Australia.

Our focus

Our vaccine research provides evidence to inform the real-world delivery of vaccine programs to children and young people.

Under the leadership of Professor Margie Danchin, a paediatrician and vaccine researcher with over 20 years of experience, VIRGo conducts vaccine and immunisation research through new vaccine clinical trials.

Our goal is to improve the health of children in Victoria and Australia by protecting them against vaccine-preventable diseases. We aim to raise awareness about the importance of childhood immunisation and facilitate access to new vaccines through delivery of new vaccine clinical trials.

Research by VIRGo advises policymakers on the optimal use of vaccines for pandemic influenza preparedness and response, and how to improve vaccine confidence, safety, and effectiveness uptake. Our work also informs the National Immunisation Program (NIP).

We are part of the Melbourne Children’s Campus, co-located at The Royal Children’s Hospital. We conduct research in healthy children and young people, as well as in priority groups who are at higher risk of vaccine-preventable diseases.

Clinical Trials

Our work draws on three decades of clinical trial experience to explore effectiveness, antibody responses and the safety of new vaccines in standard or novel schedules.

Findings have been vital for the licensure of several vaccines now in widespread use in Australia and around the world.

VIRGo engages in both industry-sponsored and investigator-initiated (with funding from the  National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in Australia) clinical trials in pregnancy, neonates, infancy, childhood and adolescence.

Our researchers have evaluated vaccines classified as genetically modified organisms (GMOs), live-attenuated intranasal vaccines, as well as oral and conventional vaccines.

The VIRGo team comprises a highly experienced and dedicated group of paediatricians, research nurses, authorised immunisation practitioners, and administrative professionals.

We pioneered the use of a home-based recruitment and research model using mobile teams of research staff to make participation in trials easier for families.

We also conduct trial visits at the  Melbourne Children’s Trials Centre (MCTC) – a dedicated and accredited state-of-the-art centre on the Melbourne Children’s Campus.

Ethics

All research in Australia involving humans is reviewed by an independent group of people called a Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) to make sure research is conducted responsibly and ethically. All HRECs follow the guidelines outlined in the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (2025). 

Join a study

Vaccine research is made possible by the commitment of families who value improving child health.

To find out more, or if you are interested in learning about our upcoming trials, please email or call show phone number

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