The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Research Center is located within the Department of Infectious Diseases building with offices, waiting room, meeting room, monitoring room, 2 rest-rooms, 4 rooms for outpatient visits and 5 beds for 24 or 48 hours studies. Furthermore, 1 of the 4 rooms for outpatient visits is equipped and certified as BL2, and authorized for studies utilizing class 3 genetically-modified micro-organisms and cells (Auth. Number MI/IC/IMP.2/00-04, issued by the Ministry of Health in 2002). In addition, the VIRC is provided with two aphaeresis devices and 1 laminar-flow class 2 hood. Finally, the VIRC has an emergency box fully-equipped for resuscitation maneuvers and an intensive care specialist who is on-call 24 hours a day every day. The staff is trained in the immunology and infectious diseases field and experienced in the conduction of clinical trials, including preventive, therapeutic, and vaccine trials in the HIV/AIDS and infectious diseases fields. The clinical research activity of VIRC is also focused on the conduction of multicentric, internantional phase I and II clinical trials employing interleukin-7 (IL-7) as immunotherapy on HIV positive patients with poor CD4 recovery under conventional antiretroviral therapy. A manual of operating procedures covering all study-related activities, based on NHI SOPs and adapted to the Italian regulations it has been implemented. In 2008 received CSQ/Certiquality/ISO 9001:2000 (n° 9122.raf) accreditation.