IDCRC Investigator Profile: Matthew Collins, MD, PhD

Emory University Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit (VTEU)

Matthew Collins, MD, MPH, is an associate professor of medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, at Emory University School of Medicine. He currently leads a laboratory research program investigating adaptive immunity to tropical and emerging viruses and provides consulting services in ambulatory Travel Medicine and inpatient Infectious Diseases. Dr. Collins is a member of the Hope Clinic team, which is the clinical arm of the Emory Vaccine Center, where he contributes to clinical trials assessing several vaccines and other intervention strategies for preventing infectious diseases.

How long have you worked with a VTEU?

Eight years. I started working with the VTEU when Mark Mulligan, MD, invited me to join the DMID 17-0111 study team in 2018.

Can you share more about a current IDCRC study you're working on?

We have a lab-only study (ECP2021-005) designed to develop a blockade-of-binding (BOB) assay that leverages two Zika virus-specific, strongly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies discovered during my fellowship as a qualified assay. This tool has potential applications in serological diagnostics, epidemiology, as well as vaccine development.

Our primary interest is to use BOB and other serological approaches to better understand epitope-specific antibody immunity to Zika elicited by infection and vaccination as a means to elucidate the quality of immunity generated by different vaccine candidates. Developing these BOB assays as qualified assays would also make them eligible to serve as outcome measures for primary and secondary objectives in early phase clinical trials, which have advantages of simplicity and throughput compared to some traditional outcome measures used in this setting. Read about IDCRC Studies.

Briefly describe the IDCRC-supported trials you’ve supported.

DMID17-0111 was the last protocol approved under the VTEU just before transition to the IDCRC and is the main trial that I have worked on as a co-I. This study assesses the efficacy of Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in reducing transmission of dengue, Zika, and chikungunya viruses in a cluster-randomized controlled trial. This has been an incredible learning opportunity throughout my early career as junior faculty - an introduction to team science, exposure to many dynamics in infectious diseases research between government, academia, industry, regulatory bodies, and large cohorts of participants. The multidisciplinary study team makes it possible to learn beyond what one could even think to investigate by oneself; the team is also a lot of fun.

Of these trials, what has been the most impactful or a highlight of the work?

Personally, our lab only project has been an incredible opportunity and resource to sustain and grow my program as an independent researcher in translational arbovirology. This work has elevated the rigor of how we do serology in my lab, severed as a venue for several trainees to work with our group, and generated data that have shaped our conclusions and hypotheses surrounding the determinants of protective humoral immunity against Zika virus and other arboviruses.

I suspect the EVITA Dengue trial (DMID17-0111) will be highly impactful by traditional measures, and I look forward to continuing to participate in this process over the weeks and years to come. Watch out for press releases this fall and a symposium at TropMed2026!

What is a strength or example of the importance of the IDCRC during the pandemic and beyond?

I think the IDCRC's network structure and principal activities create opportunity for new collaborations to arise organically and facilitate exchange of ideas and practices across institutions. A salient strength is the focus on mentorship - by explicit statement and organized activities and by the authentic commitment to supporting junior colleagues demonstrated by leaders within the network.

What do you like to do outside of the VTEU?

I love to ride bikes with my kids on the newly expanded Atlanta beltline. When we can get away, communing with nature is a favorite activity, especially playing in creeks and waterfalls in the North Georgia mountains or searching for shark's teeth on the South Carolina Coast.