Date: January 28, 2022
Time: 13:00 to 19:00 CET
In continuation to the scientific discussions on COVID-19 vaccines research, WHO R&D Blueprint is organizing a consultation to identify vaccine research priorities to facilitate further contributions of vaccines to achieve improved control of the pandemic everywhere.
During this forthcoming consultation global experts will review the available evidence, enumerate knowledge gaps, and outline research priorities related to a pan-sarbecovirus vaccine. The objectives of the meeting are to:
- Review scientific advances and development approaches to enable the development of a pan-sarbecovirus vaccine
- Provide an overview of various candidate vaccines under development
- Outline novel approaches for evaluation of pan-sarbecovirus vaccines, including in the context of the different variants of concern
Download Agenda
PRESENTATIONS:
Session 1. Is there a need for a pan-sarbecovirus vaccine?
- Introduction
- Epidemiology of omicron variant
- Clinical disease caused by omicron
- Evolution of sarbecovirus
- Update on animal models and immunity evasion by omicron
- Vaccine effectiveness against variants excluding omicron
- Vaccine effectiveness against omicron
- What is the ability of natural immunity to protect against omicron (mild disease and severe disease)?
Session 2. What are promising approaches to a pan–sarbecovirus vaccine?
- Additional antigens besides spike (e.g., N protein)
- Nanoparticle based vaccines with multiple spike proteins
- Serial immunization with different spike proteins
- Strategies to broaden the immune response
- Towards a mutation-resistant pan-sarbecovirus T cell vaccine
- Design and immunogenicity of a pan Sarbecovirus Dendritic‐Cell targeting vaccine
Session 3. How could pan–sarbecovirus vaccines be evaluated to down–select among candidates and assure that they will likely protect against current and future variants?
- Evaluating neutralizing immune responses
- Evaluating cellular responses
- Evaluation non–neutralizing humoral immune responses
- Strategies to confirm effectiveness over time
Vaccine Developers: How can pan–sarbecovirus vaccines be rapidly developed and evaluated?
Overall conclusions, knowledge gaps and research priorities
Watch the meeting recording here: