European Vaccine Initiative

The European Vaccine Initiative (EVI) is a non-profit Product Development Partnership (PDP)[1] with the goal of supporting and accelerating the development of effective and affordable vaccines for global health. Since its inception in 1998, EVI has operated as an independent non-profit organisation that works closely with academic researchers, the private sector, governments, and other organisations to spearhead vaccine development. Headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany, EVI collaborates with partners across the world to pursue its mission.

Background

The predecessor of EVI, the European Malaria Vaccine Initiative (EMVI) [2][3] was established in 1998 with the specific aim of accelerating malaria vaccine development in Europe. Initially hosted by the University of Bergen in Norway,[4] EMVI later moved to Copenhagen, Denmark where it was hosted by the Statens Serum Institute (SSI). In 2010, the name of the organisation was changed to EVI to reflect a broader scope of activities. At the same time, the headquarter of the organisation was moved to Heidelberg, Germany and the legal status was changed to a European Economic Interest Grouping (EEIG) with Stockholm University and Heidelberg University as the founding institutions. Although malaria vaccine development remains an important activity for EVI, today EVI is dedicated to support and accelerate the development of effective, accessible, and affordable vaccines for other diseases of importance for global health.[5]

Organisation and governance

EVI is established as an Association (e.V) under German law, with a recognised status as a non-profit organisation. The founding institutions of EVI were Stockholm and Heidelberg Universities, and the current members of the Association are the Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Rijswijk; Heidelberg University, Heidelberg; the Jenner Vaccine Foundation, Oxford; Pasteur Institute, Paris, and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin.[6] Each of the constituent members is represented on the Board of Directors, which approves policies, organisational strategy and budget. The Chairman of EVI's Board is Dr Clemens Kocken, while EVI has been led since 2020 by Executive Director Ole F. Olesen.[7]

Each constituent member is represented in the General Assembly, which approves policies, organisational strategy and budget. The Chairman of EVI's General Assembly is Dr Clemens Kocken, the vice-chair is Samuel McConkey, while EVI has been led since 2020 by Executive Director Ole F. Olesen.

Funding

EVI's work is funded by donors including Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), European Union (EU), Global Health Innovative Technologies Fund (GHIT), Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI), Nobelpharma Co., Ltd., World Health Organization - Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs,[8] the Danish International Development Agency (Danida), the Department of Foreign Affairs (Irish Aid),[9][10] the Dutch Research Council, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) through KfW,[11] and the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).[12]

Research and development activities

EVI operates in three complementary areas:

  1. Translational vaccine development and early clinical testing: this area is dedicated to supporting and coordinating pre-clinical research, clinical testing and development of individual vaccine candidates, for diseases of poverty and emerging infectious diseases. EVI has supported the development of vaccine candidates for diseases such malaria, zika fever,[13] nipah infection,[14] diarrheal diseases,[15][16] dengue fever, and leishmaniasis.[17] It has supported the testing and development of 40 different vaccine formulations that have progressed into clinical development.
  2. Cross-cutting activities: this area is focused on tackling the gaps in vaccine research and development (R&D) through overarching initiatives such as supporting the implementation of a vaccine R&D infrastructure in Europe, harmonization, knowledge sharing, development and standardisation of assays, development of human challenge models, and capacity building and advocacy.
  3. Improving vaccine uptake and knowledge-sharing: dedicated to extending the benefits of vaccines by improving knowledge access and uptake of vaccines. EVI has also engaged in the strengthening of research capacity in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.[18][19]

References
  1. Bulc, B; Ramchandani, R (March 2021). Accelerating global health R&D: the role of product development partnerships (PDF).
  2. Hagan, P.; Bjorvatn, B.; Jepsen, S. (February 1999). "European Malaria Vaccine Initiative". Parasitology Today. 15 (2): 47–48. doi:10.1016/S0169-4758(98)01373-8. PMID 10234183.
  3. Boulton, Ian; Meredith, Stefanie; Mertenskoetter, Thomas; Glaue, Finnja. "Evaluation of the Product Development Partnerships (PDP) funding activities" (PDF). UK Department for International Development (DFID). Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  4. "European malaria vaccine initiative". Community Research and Development Information Service (CORDIS). European Commission. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  5. World Health Organization (15 December 2015). "Blueprint for R&D preparedness and response to public health emergencies due to highly infectious pathogens". Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  6. European Vaccine Initiative (2020). "People and Governance". Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  7. PharmaBoardroom (28 September 2020). "Ole Olesen – Executive Director, European Vaccine Initiative (EVI)". Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  8. Zaken, Ministerie van Buitenlandse (1 June 2004). "Millennium Development Goal 8: Developing a Global Partnership for Development - Progress Report by the Netherlands - Report - Government.nl". www.government.nl. Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  9. Chêne, Arnaud; Gangnard, Stéphane; Guadall, Anna; Ginisty, Hervé; Leroy, Odile; Havelange, Nicolas; Viebig, Nicola K.; Gamain, Benoît (April 2019). "Preclinical immunogenicity and safety of the cGMP-grade placental malaria vaccine PRIMVAC". EBioMedicine. 42: 145–156. doi:10.1016/j.ebiom.2019.03.010. PMC 6491931. PMID 30885725.
  10. Sirima, Sodiomon B; Richert, Laura; Chêne, Arnaud; Konate, Amadou T; Campion, Cécilia; Dechavanne, Sébastien; Semblat, Jean-Philippe; Benhamouda, Nadine; Bahuaud, Mathilde; Loulergue, Pierre; Ouédraogo, Alphonse; Nébié, Issa; Kabore, Moïse; Kargougou, Désiré; Barry, Aïssata; Ouattara, San Maurice; Boilet, Valérie; Allais, Florence; Roguet, Gwenaelle; Havelange, Nicolas; Lopez-Perez, Elvira; Kuppers, Alexis; Konaté, Eleine; Roussillon, Caroline; Kanté, Myriam; Belarbi, Linda; Diarra, Amidou; Henry, Noelie; Soulama, Issiaka; Ouédraogo, Amidou; Esperou, Helene; Leroy, Odile; Batteux, Frederic; Tartour, Eric; Viebig, Nicola K; Thiebaut, Rodolphe; Launay, Odile; Gamain, Benoît (May 2020). "PRIMVAC vaccine adjuvanted with Alhydrogel or GLA-SE to prevent placental malaria: a first-in-human, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study" (PDF). The Lancet Infectious Diseases. 20 (5): 585–597. doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(19)30739-X. PMID 32032566. S2CID 211064794.
  11. Internetredaktion, Redaktion: BMBF LS5. "Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) - BMBF Gesundheitsforschung". Federal Ministry of Education and Research - BMBF Gesundheitsforschung. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  12. Tiono, Alfred B.; Nébié, Issa; Anagnostou, Nicholas; Coulibaly, Aboubacar S.; Bowyer, Georgina; Lam, Erika; Bougouma, Edith C.; Ouedraogo, Alphonse; Yaro, Jean Baptist B.; Barry, Aïssata; Roberts, Rachel; Rampling, Tommy; Bliss, Carly; Hodgson, Susanne; Lawrie, Alison; Ouedraogo, Amidou; Imoukhuede, Egeruan Babatunde; Ewer, Katie J.; Viebig, Nicola K.; Diarra, Amidou; Leroy, Odile; Bejon, Philip; Hill, Adrian V. S.; Sirima, Sodiomon B. (12 December 2018). "First field efficacy trial of the ChAd63 MVA ME-TRAP vectored malaria vaccine candidate in 5-17 months old infants and children". PLOS ONE. 13 (12): e0208328. Bibcode:2018PLoSO..1308328T. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0208328. PMC 6291132. PMID 30540808.
  13. "The quest for an effective vaccine against Zika virus infection". Community Research and Development Information Service (CORDIS). European Commission. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  14. "CEPI awards contract worth up to US$ 31 million to The University of Tokyo to develop vaccine against Nipah virus". CEPI. 25 February 2019.
  15. "Early clinical development of a live, attenuated combination vaccine against Shigella and ETEC diarrhoea". Community Research and Development Information Service (CORDIS). European Commission. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  16. "ShigOraVax - International partnerships against infectious diseases". European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP). European Commission. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  17. Kaye, Paul (8 July 2020). "Expanding research capacity into neglected tropical diseases". pharmaphorum. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  18. Geels, Mark J.; Imoukhuede, Egeruan B.; Imbault, Nathalie; van Schooten, Harry; McWade, Terry; Troye-Blomberg, Marita; Dobbelaer, Roland; Craig, Alister G.; Leroy, Odile (2011). "European Vaccine Initiative: lessons from developing malaria vaccines". Expert Review of Vaccines. 10 (12): 1697–1708. doi:10.1586/erv.11.158. PMID 22085173. S2CID 29788039. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  19. Kaye, Paul (26 August 2020). "Flow cytometry: a critical technique in combating leishmaniasis". Clinical Laboratory Int. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
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