Strengthening vaccine research at CERMEL focusing on biomedical and social sciences (VARSAF)

Objectives

The current proposal combines biomedical and sociological research to strengthen vaccine research in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)settings.

• The biomedical component of this proposal will assess the extent of reduced responses induced by vaccines among sub-Saharan populations and explore the roles of immune activation and controlled viral replication to improve the design of vaccines for SSA populations.
• The sociological component will study and strengthen the integration of biomedical research activities by SSA societies.

Specific objectives:

• To compare efficacy, effectiveness and correlates of protection induced by childhood vaccines between populations living in SSA versus India, Europe and Northern America using a systematic review and meta-analysis.
• This will assess whether reduced protection is specific to some vaccines and their components or intrinsic to the SSA populations.
• To assess the states of immune activation in participants enrolled in vaccine trials before, during and after the course of vaccination on the kinetics of vaccine-induced responses against a VSV vectored Ebola vaccine and attenuated sporozoite based malaria vaccine (PfSPZ) and on the efficacy of PfSPZ vaccine.
• To study and understand the boosting effect of the VSV vector on the immune responses induced by licensed vaccines