Two PhD students, Dr. Elizabeth Kibwana and Dr. Caroline Bundi, have successfully defended their dissertations under the Multi-Stage Malaria Vaccine Consortium (MMVC) project, advancing the fight against malaria through innovative research.
November 2024
On 5th November 2024, Dr. Elizabeth Kibwana successfully defended her PhD at the Open University in the UK. An MMVC fellow supported by EVI and based at the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme (KWTRP), Dr. Kibwana’s research focused on assessing the efficacy of the R21 malaria vaccine in semi-immune adults, using the controlled human malaria infection (CHMI) model. Through comprehensive immunological assays, Dr. Kibwana characterised immune responses induced by the vaccine, working to identify potential in vitro correlates of protection.
On 6th November 2024, Dr. Caroline Bundi also defended her dissertation at The Open University, UK. As Dr Kibwana, Caroline is also an MMVC fellow supported by EVI and based at the KWTRP and partly at Ifakara Health Institute, Tanzania. Her research aimed to evaluate the immunological response to R21/Matrix-M and RH5/Matrix-M malaria vaccines in two Phase Ib clinical trials conducted in Tanzania and Kenya. Using samples from the two clinical trials, she evaluated how previous malaria exposure, age, vaccine dose, and vaccine regime, affect the strength and quality of the immune response.
Publications of the findings of both dissertations are currently under preparation. Both Elizabeth and Caroline are seeking postdoctoral positions to continue their research work in the field of malaria vaccines.
Their success underscores EVI’s commitment to training and empowering local researchers in the development of effective malaria vaccines and represents a significant advancement in malaria research worldwide. We wish both researchers continued success and a bright future in malaria vaccine research.
Acknowledgements
Funding: European vaccine initiative PhD fellowship, funded by the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP2) programme through the Multi-Stage Malaria Vaccine Consortium (MMVC, RIA2016V-1649). MMVC is coordinated by University of Oxford and EVI leads the capacity building and networking activities.
Supervisors: Dr. Melissa Kapulu, Prof. Philip Bejon, Dr. Ally Olotu & Dr. Katie Ewer
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