From Candidate to Vaccine: Translating the Next Generation of Vaccines for Intracellular Pathogens
On 18-19 July 2024, VALIDATE brought together 27 researchers based in 13 countries for a closed workshop focused on advancing vaccine candidates for mycobacterial diseases, leishmaniases, and melioidosis. The event aimed to support VALIDATE members in progressing their vaccine candidates towards viability and brought together experts from academia, industry and funders. It featured a mix of presentations, discussions, and networking opportunities to foster collaboration among researchers and professionals in the field.
On the first day, Prof Samantha Sampson opened the session, which featured "Turbo Talks" in which all delegates were given three minutes to introduce themselves and their work. The next session included insightful talks on the current position of tuberculosis, melioidosis, and leishmaniasis vaccine development. Speakers Dr Rhea Coler, Prof Direk Limmathurotsakul and Prof Abhay Satoskar provided comprehensive overviews of the status of vaccine research for each of our focus pathogens and the current known immunology. The afternoon session focused on first and second-generation vaccines, with Prof Myron Christodoulides and Dr Claudia Brodskyn addressing human and canine visceral leishmaniasis, Dr Alison Kraigsley discussing next-generation TB vaccines, and Dr Mary Burtnick and Dr Alfredo G Torres presenting updates on melioidosis candidates. The day concluded with round-table discussions and a networking dinner at Trader Vic's restaurant overlooking the banks of the Chao Praya river.
The second day of the workshop opened with a session on third-generation platforms such as mRNA and viral vectors. Dr Steve Reed and Dr Alvaro Borges presented on mRNA vaccines and the tuberculosis vaccine candidate H56 respectively,, while Dr Lisa Morici addressed advances in Burkholderia OMV vaccine development. After round-table discussions, the afternoon explored the challenges of transitioning vaccine candidates to clinical trials, with contributions from Dr Pia Steigler talking about Afrigen's mRNA manufacturing capabilities, Prof Siobhan McClean discussing the challenges of progressing a melioidosis vaccine in Ireland, and Mrs Kristin Croucher from the Gates Foundation highlighting the areas of consideration needed for successful clinical trials. A final, energised round-table discussion saw the group learning from each other, building new collaborations, and coming up with lots of ideas for workshop outputs. The workshop successfully provided a platform for exchanging ideas and fostering partnerships to progress vaccine candidates towards clinical application.
