The University of Oxford has launched a new global collaboration backed by £8 million funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The research will better understand how through vaccination, the training and preservation of protective immune response can keep us safe from disease, contributing crucial new knowledge for future pandemic preparedness.
The consortium, made up of leading academic and industrial partners, will work on the development of better vaccines that will offer protection against multiple strains of COVID-19. The research aims to enhance protection against several respiratory pathogens, including influenza and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). The work will also establish global networks of trained personnel with the scientific tools to better prepare the world for the next pandemic.
The ambitious research project– titled IMMPROVE: Immune Memory and Mechanisms of Protection from Vaccines – is headed by Professor Teresa Lambe OBE and Professor Paul Klenerman, both Principal Investigators in the University of Oxford’s Pandemic Sciences Institute, and is one of three projects announced today by UKRI under its Tackling Infections strategic theme, which is investigating future infectious disease threats.
Professor Teresa Lambe, Calleva Head of Vaccine Immunology said: “I’m excited to work with this world-leading team of scientists on this important programme of work. This research will help us better understand the processes by which vaccines lead to immune protection and how best to stimulate these, helping us prepare for the next pandemic.”