On the hunt for virus-blocking coronavirus vaccines
CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations)
We want to stop future epidemics by developing new vaccines for a safer world.
In the search for a next generation of even more advanced coronavirus vaccines—shots that reduce disease severity but also block the virus from infecting people altogether—human challenge studies are crucial. These trials, a form of carefully managed medical experiment in which volunteers are deliberately infected with a pathogen, are unique in their ability to shed light on the onset and development of disease in a safe and highly-controlled environment.
Earlier this month, CEPI announced a project that will see scientists from around the world who specialise in human challenge studies lay the groundwork for the development of next-generation COVID-19 vaccines designed to stop SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses before they even infect people. Researchers at multiple clinical research facilities will use carefully selected and calibrated coronaviruses to try to infect healthy volunteers who have received an experimental vaccine.
Unlike traditional vaccines, which are injected into a muscle, these experimental vaccines will be inhaled into the lungs or sprayed into the nose. They are designed to induce a specific type of protection known as mucosal immunity—something scientists believe may be the key to providing virus-blocking defences.
The project, led by Imperial College London, is co-funded with $57 million from CEPI and from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Programme.
Other R&D and manufacturing news
CEPI is providing up to $1.9 million to Ghent University to test whether a pioneering new vaccine stabilisation technique known as spin-freezing could end the need for frozen storage of mRNA vaccines, accelerating and scaling up responses to future infectious disease outbreaks.
CEPI is funding Amplitude Therapeutics with up to $1 million to investigate next-generation trans-amplifying mRNA vaccines. The innovative vaccine design could enable up to 100 times less antigen-encoded mRNA per vaccine dose, and allow parts of the vaccine to be made ahead of an outbreak.
CEPI calls for new experts to join its Scientific Advisory Committee
CEPI is recruiting approximately 10 new senior experts to join its Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC). ?The Coalition is particularly interested in applicants from the Latin American and African regions. Scientific input, guidance and challenge by the selected applicants will be critical in the continued implementation of the CEPI 2.0 strategy , which aims to accelerate the development of vaccines and other biological countermeasures to tackle emerging infectious diseases and to enhance global preparedness for future epidemic and pandemic threats. The call for applications is open until 9 April 2024.
Find out more, including how to apply, here. Please feel free to share this opportunity with your network on LinkedIn here.
Fortifying global health partnerships: CEPI convenes with partners in Belgium to discuss all things pandemic preparedness? ?
This month, CEPI’s Board had the pleasure of meeting with Belgium's Prime Minister,?Alexander De Croo, to discuss joint efforts to prepare the world better for future pandemic threats.
While in Belgium, members of CEPI’s Board also met the European Commission's Director General for Health,?Sandra Gallina, who outlined the importance of taking a multi-sectoral, multi-stakeholder approach to outbreak preparedness and response.
And, just last week, CEPI’s CEO, Richard Hatchett, attended the High level event on the EU-AU partnership in Global Health for Equitable Access . Convened under Belgium’s presidency of the European Union (EU) to explore ways to strengthen the foundation of shared global health ambitions of the EU and the African Union, the meeting was a chance for Richard to exchange insights with other partners working to enable equitable vaccine access in Africa. It also provided a forum for discussions with key global partners including Michael Makanga, Director of EDCTP,?and Muhammed Pate, Minister of Health, Nigeria, regarding collaborative progress being made to advance a Lassa fever vaccine. ?
The Viral Most Wanted – The Filoviruses
The Filovirus family includes some of the most gruesome and deadly viruses capable of infecting people, namely the Ebolaviruses—behind the deadly 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak—and their similarly lethal cousins the Marburgviruses.
?? Explore the latest instalment of The Viral Most Wanted - The Filoviruses to find out more about these killer viruses, including how they operate, who they affect and the lines of enquiry being pursued to defend people against future outbreaks.
?? Discover The Viral Most Wanted series
Celebrating the women helping to build a pandemic-free future
In March, in recognition of International Women’s Day, we celebrated the achievements of women who, every day, drive forward our mission to build a pandemic-free future.
From Dr Nnennaya Ajayi who works on the front line of Lassa outbreaks in Nigeria , to all the women at CEPI making significant contributions to pandemic preparedness, as well as countless others, women the world over are advancing critical solutions to ensure we are better prepared to face future pandemic threats.
?? Read and learn more about some of these efforts.
100 Words On… Human challenge studies
Human challenge studies are carefully managed medical research studies in which volunteers are intentionally infected with a pathogen in a safe, controlled way. These studies provide researchers with a unique opportunity to understand how the body responds to diseases and to test possible new treatments and vaccines. Such studies became better known after they were used during the COVID-19 pandemic, but have been used for decades to deepen scientific understanding of infectious diseases. CEPI recently announced funding for a global consortium to coordinate human challenge studies to advance the development of transmission-blocking coronavirus vaccines, potentially preventing people from becoming infected altogether.
?? Open Calls for Proposals
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Tune in ??
Four years ago this month, the World Health Organization began describing COVID-19 as a pandemic. To help end the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world rallied together to produce the first safe and effective vaccine in just 326 days.
But could we go faster? The 100 Days Mission aims to compress vaccine development timelines to as little as 100 days, helping to stop a future pandemic threat in its tracks.
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Or explore more at www.cepi.net .
MD, MPH
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Executive Assistant, Project Coordinator, Office Manager with Global Experience. Multilingual. People and Admin Wizard #ONO
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Executive Assistant, Project Coordinator, Office Manager with Global Experience. Multilingual. People and Admin Wizard #ONO
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