Vaccines

Our research on vaccines focuses on the immune response of individuals following vaccination and the impact of vaccination on the dynamics of infection in the population. We have provided the first estimates of the effectiveness of recently licensed monovalent oral poliovirus vaccines against poliomyelitis through case-control analysis of reported case data. We have also been studying the mucosal immune response to vaccination with oral poliovirus vaccines (OPVs) and the relationship between mucosal immunity and susceptibility to wild-type and vaccine-derived poliovirus circulation in a population.

The immunogenicity and effectiveness of OPV and other oral vaccines are limited when administered to children in lower-income countries compared with other countries. Through our work on poliovirus vaccines we have become interested in identifying the mechanisms behind the reduced effectiveness of oral vaccines in these settings. Ultimately, in collaboration with colleagues in India, we hope to identify interventions that could improve the response to oral vaccines, particularly against poliomyelitis and rotavirus diarrhoea.  

Related Publications

Jenkins HE, Aylward RB, Gasasira A, Donnelly CA, Mwanza M, Corander J, Garnier S, Chauvin C, Abanida EA, Pate MA, Adu F, Baba M & Grassly NC Implications of a circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus in Nigeria. New Engl J Med 2010. 362: 2360-9. [full text]

Grassly NC, Jafari H, Bahl S et al. Mucosal immunity following vaccination with monovalent and trivalent oral poliovirus vaccines in India. J Infect Dis 2009. 200: 794-801[full text]

Jenkins HE, Aylward RB, Gasasira A, Donnelly CA, Koleosho-Adelekan T, Abanida EA and Grassly NC The effectiveness of immunization against polio in Nigeria. New Engl J Med 2008. 359: 1666-1674. [full text]

Grassly NC, Wenger J, Durrani S, et al. Protective efficacy of a monovalent oral type 1 poliovirus vaccine: a case-control study. Lancet 2007. 369:1356-1362.